A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes Dana, 1851 (Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae) from shallow coastal waters in Japan.

A new species of diogenid hermit crab, Diogenes minimus, is described and illustrated on the basis of material from shallow subtidal waters (5-19 m) in central Japan. It appears close to D. holthuisi Asakura Tachikawa, 2010, but easily distinguished from the latter by the shape of the antennal acicle, non-elongate male left cheliped and the armature of the right cheliped merus. Including the new species, 14 identified species of Diogenes are now known from Japanese waters. A brief overview on species of Diogenes recorded from Japanese waters is given.