Coenobita rubescens is a species of terrestrial (land-living) hermit crab, family Coenobitidae.

[2][3] They were first described by the German zoologist Richard Greeff in the West African islands of São Tomé and Rolas, after initially being misidentified as Coenobita rugosus.

In spite of this, the ovigerous females must release the fertilized eggs in the ocean for the larvae to develop (as with all known species of terrestrial hermit crabs).

Under Greeff's original observation, this species has a more elongated antennule and the left cheliped lacks the stridulation ridges (as such seen in C. rugosus), leading to the distinction.

There are reports of this species carrying a sea urchin test in place of a more typical gastropod shell.