The influence of shell status (size, quality and preferred type) on fighting behavior of the hermit crab Calcinus latens was examined. In the present species, the motivation to acquire a new shell is influenced by the value of its own shell rather than that of the rivals. The results suggest that crabs in suboptimal shells were more prone to initiate fights. Their attacks were directed toward crabs housed in optimal sized shells and fighting duration significantly varied with different value of shells. This may reveal that C. latens is able to assess the value of the available shells by gathering information prior and during shell fights. Furthermore, the fighting behavior of C. latens is influenced by asymmetry in crab size and crab with large chela appeared to be winners of the contests.