Unusual shelters occupied by Brazilian hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae)

Garcia, Renata Biagi; Meireles, Andrea L.; Mantelatto, Fernando Luís Medina

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842003000400020

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In contrast, those found in Dentalium shells (McLaughlin & Lemaitre, 1993) and polychaete tubes (McLaughlin & Gunn, 1992) exhibit a tendency for uropod symmetry. Garcia et al (2003) noted the unusual occurrences of Dardanus venosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848) and Dardanus insignis (Saussure, 1858) occupying bivalve shells and cirriped tests, and the values of the asymmetry index of the uropods for both species were 0.24 and 0.21, respectively, indicating asymmetry, where the left was larger. All the P. erythrops specimens analyzed had the exopod of the left , 1887), that occupied gastropod shells had similar patterns to those obtained in the present study (0.11-0.52), with indexes varying from 0.20 to 0.40.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative Growth and Sexual Maturity of the Hermit Crab Paguristes erythrops (Anomura, Diogenidae) from South Atlantic

Biagi

Mantelatto

2006

Hydrobiologia

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Some morphometric relationships were studied in the hermit crab Paguristes erythrops to describe its relative growth and the size at which sexual maturity is reached, as well as the shell influence on this process. Individuals were collected monthly from January to December/1999, by SCUBA diving and 12 different characters were measured on males and females. Sexual size dimorphism was observed in length and width of left cheliped. Size at sexual maturity was estimated between 2.8 and 3.5 mm shield length based on the left cheliped relations of the males and on the endopod and exopod of the second pleopod of the females. Differences in the allometry of individuals occupying different shell species were observed. The present work demonstrated the importance of characterizing the type of growth of some parts (pleopods) not yet used in other studies on relative growth of hermit crabs that may correspond to indicators of the size at sexual maturity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative Growth and Sexual Maturity of the Hermit Crab Paguristes erythrops (Anomura, Diogenidae) from South Atlantic

Biagi

Mantelatto

2006

Hydrobiologia

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“…Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans that often occupy empty shells of Gastropoda Cuvier, 1797 (Garcia, Meireles, & Mantelatto, ). They can acquire empty shells available in their surroundings, for example, by inter‐/intra‐specific agonistic activity (Childress, ; Dowds & Elwood, ; Hazlett, , ) and chemical traces (signs) from dead or wounded gastropods (Laidre, ; Rittschof, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shell use by sympatric hermit crab species in a seasonally open coastal lagoon in Northeastern Brazil

et al. 2017

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There are gaps in what is known about the patterns of gastropod shell use by hermit crabs in Brazilian lagoon areas, especially in Northeastern Brazil. However, this is important because the understanding of selection patterns provides information on life history and eco‐evolutionary conceptions of paguroids. The present study investigated the use of gastropod shells occupied by Pagurus criniticornis and Clibanarius sclopetarius in a coastal lagoon seasonally connected to an estuary and to the sea, correlating eco‐evolutionary aspects and hydrodynamic characters. The study was carried out between February 2013 and January 2014. Hermit crabs and their shells were identified and measured (hermit crabs’ cephalothorax shield length and width, major propodus length and height, weight, shell total length and width, shell aperture length and width). Partial least squares regression was used to analyse the morphometric data. Additionally, a multinomial proportions test was performed to infer patterns (inter‐/intra‐specific) of shells’ occupation. Hermit crab species occupied a total of 13 types of shells, predominantly those of Neritina virginea (67.83%). The shell weight was the most important determinant of shell occupancy in the morphometric model (variable importance in projection >1). The proportions of N. virginea shells used were similar in both species of hermit crabs, except between the sexes of P. criniticornis. Presumably, the high utilization rate of N. virginea shells is related to its abundance and dispersal, and to the shells’ suitability for hermit crabs, which is reflected by the morphometric model, as well as by the hydrodynamics of the lagoon‐estuarine environment. The relative occupation of different types of shells for each species of hermit crabs studied appears to be associated with regulation by inter‐/intra‐specific competition, which fosters the co‐occurrence of those populations. These results endorse coastal lagoons as a refuge and recruitment area for aquatic fauna. In addition, it highlights a challenge in the management and conservation of paguroid species whose population dynamics depend on the resources coming from the Gastropoda community.

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“…The capital importance of this need can be observed in times of unavailability of this resource, when the hermits are able to occupy a variety of alternative protectors such as conical shells of scaphopods, serpulid tubes, cavities of pebbles, sponges, dead corals, bamboo pieces and shells of bivalve [1]. On the other hand, there were hermit crabs occupying gastropod shells covered by alive corals, bryozoans and barnacles reported from southern Brazil [2]. The selection of the gastropod shell to be occupied by a hermit crab is related to several factors, among which the shell availability in the habitat has been considered the most important one [3] and confirmed by several authors of different countries [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric Relationships Between the Hermit Crab Isocheles sawayai (Forest & Saint Laurent) (Crustacea Anomura Diogenidae) and its Shell from Southern Brazil

Masunari¹,

Fontanelli²,

Sampaio³

2008

TOMBJ

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A study on morphometric relationships between the hermit crab Isocheles sawayai and its shell in a population from Paraná-Santa Catarina States coast was carried out. Hermit crabs from the by-catch of shrimp fishing (4-15m depth) were collected. Cephalothoracic shield length (CL) and width (CW) from hermit crabs and total length (SL), aperture length (AL) and weight (SW) from shells were taken. A total of 266 hermit crabs occupying eight species of shell -Buccinanops lamarckii, Dorsanum moniliferum, Oliva reticularis, Olivancillaria steeriae, O. urceus, Polinices hepaticus, Semicassis granulatum and Stramonita haemastoma -were obtained. Males (N = 189) that dominated strongly (1M : 0.4 F) occupied eight shell species, while females (N = 76) occupied only six. There was only one intersex individual that occupied a Stramonita shell. Contrarily to intertidal populations, O. urceus was the most frequently occupied shell by males (57.14%) and females (62.33%) in this studied area. Due to the smaller size of females (mean CL 5.19±0.84mm), these ones occupied shells of a smaller size than males (mean CL 6.49±1.14mm). The highest O. urceus shell frequency of occupation is connected to the hermit crab´s life style: it is a filter feeding species and its shell remains totally buried in the sandy substratum having only its cephalothoracic appendages free. The heavy shell of this gastropod (highest SW/SL) favors the stability in strong current water conditions, as it functions as an anchorage for this semi-buried hermit crab.

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Unusual shelters occupied by Brazilian hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae)

Cited by 12 publications

References 7 publications

Relative Growth and Sexual Maturity of the Hermit Crab Paguristes erythrops (Anomura, Diogenidae) from South Atlantic

Relative Growth and Sexual Maturity of the Hermit Crab Paguristes erythrops (Anomura, Diogenidae) from South Atlantic

Shell use by sympatric hermit crab species in a seasonally open coastal lagoon in Northeastern Brazil

Morphometric Relationships Between the Hermit Crab Isocheles sawayai (Forest & Saint Laurent) (Crustacea Anomura Diogenidae) and its Shell from Southern Brazil

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