Substrate use and selection in sympatric intertidal hermit crab species

Turra, Alexander; Denadai, Márcia Regina

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842002000100013

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Behavioral studies on Brazilian hermit crabs are recent (TURRA & LEITE 2000a, TURRA & DENADAI 2002, 2003. The little information on the reproductive behavior of species that occur along the Brazilian coast was described in the studies of HAZLETT (1966HAZLETT ( , 1972HAZLETT ( , 1996a on populations located in the Caribbean and southern USA.…”

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Reproductive behavior of intertidal hermit crabs (Decapoda, Anomura) in southeastern Brazil

Turra

2005

Rev. Bras. Zool.

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The reproductive behavior of four intertidal hermit crab species [Clibanarius antillensis Stimpson, 1859, C. sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796), C. vittatus (Bosc, 1802), and Pagurus criniticornis (Dana, 1852)] was studied in São Sebastião Channel, southeastern Brazil. The overall behavior followed previous descriptions for Diogenid and Pagurid hermit crabs but some particular differences were recorded. Male to male agonistic encounters over females and guarding behavior were more common to C. sclopetarius, C. vittatus, and Pagurus criniticornis. During guarding, males clearly grasped females' chelipeds, eyestalks, and the margins of their shell apertures. This oblique guarding and, simultaneously, accessing behavior (OGAP) has never been described for hermit crabs and was more common to C. sclopetarius and C. vittatus. Pagurus criniticornis did not present the typical jerking behavior of pagurids. Multiple copulations between a single pair were recorded in all species while in only one occasion a female of C. vittatus was observed copulating with two males. In the post-copulatory behavior males held females for some time and, after that, they were left inactive and sometimes totally to partially buried in the substrate. In mating pairs of all species males were larger than females and two individuals (out of 23) of C. antillensis, one (out of 5) of C. sclopetarius and one (out of 3) of C. vittatus, which courted successfully as males fertilizing females' eggs, were demonstrated to be intersex, with both male and female gonopores.

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Reproductive behavior of intertidal hermit crabs (Decapoda, Anomura) in southeastern Brazil

Turra

2005

Rev. Bras. Zool.

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“…The presence of clear substrate zonation either by a type or mixture of substrates at the site may have resulted in the spatial confinement of hermit crab species at different zone along the intertidal area (see Turra and Denadai 2002;Fransozo et al …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both Clibanarius species are more adapted to zones that are structurally more complex based on their increasing abundance from 50 to 100 m and their low presence at the high-tide mark where the substrate is more homogenous. The distribution and coexistence of hermit crab species as modulated by substrate type have been shown by Turra and Denadai (2002). They demonstrated experimentally the substrate preference of hermit crabs, under allopatric (single species) and sympatric (three species) (C. antillensis, C. sclopetarius and C. vittatus) conditions, for four substrate types: rocky, pebble, sand and mud.…”

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confidence: 94%

Influence of habitat heterogeneity on the assemblages and shell use of hermit crabs (Anomura: Diogenidae)

2014

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Background: Two contrasting intertidal habitats on the western Sabah coast (Malaysia), one is a rocky-sandy-mud flat at Sepangar (N6°02′18.57″; E116°06′40.07″) and the other is a mangrove foreshore at Sulaman (N6°15′33.00″; E116°18′49.80″), are characterized by substrate zonation and homogeneous substrate (mud), respectively. Hermit crabs are one of the most conspicuous benthic macrofauna at both sites. The study examined the influence of habitat heterogeneity on the assemblages and shell use pattern of hermit crabs. Results: The heterogeneous intertidal flat at Sepangar (five species) supported a higher diversity and abundance of hermit crabs compared to Sulaman mangrove foreshore (two species). Hermit crabs at Sepangar used a greater variety of shells (30 species) compared to those at Sulaman (two species). Zonation of hermit crab species occurred at Sepangar where Diogenes klaasi dominated at the high-tide mark and two Clibanarius species (C. striolatus and C. merguiensis) dominated at the low-tide mark. Considerable overlap in habitat use (mid-and lower shore) occurred between D. tumidus and the two Clibanarius species which appeared to influence shell use pattern. Conclusions: This study supports the work of others showing that structurally complex habitats will allow habitat partition among species thus explaining the greater diversity and abundance of hermit crabs. Such a heterogeneous habitat provides a wider choice of shells for the hermit crabs, minimizing interspecific competition for the available shell resources.

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“…However, microhabitat use (Gherardi & Nardone 1997, Turra & Denadai 2002, body size differences (Turra & Leite 2002), activity rhythms (Barnes 2002), resource partitioning (Gherardi & Nardone 1997, Turra & Leite 2002, and tolerance for desiccation (Bertness 1981, Turra & Denadai 2001 have also been implicated in allowing co-occurrence …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%