As a hermit crab, it lives inside the empty shell of a gastropod mollusc and its soft abdomen and most of its limbs are normally hidden with just the dactyls, or claws, projecting.

The crab's common name refers to the fact that when seen at close quarters, its eyes resemble star-bursts, being green or blue with dark pupils.

[2] Dardanus venosus is found in Florida, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the Antilles, Venezuela and Brazil from low tide mark down to about 40 metres (130 ft).

These are relatively large and have elongated telsons, or rear segments, and characteristic hooks on the dactyls of the walking legs.

[4] In a study off the coast of Brazil, Dardanus venosus was found occupying eleven different kinds of gastropod shell including three different species of turban snail, (Astraea sp).