Composição e abundância dos caranguejos (Decapoda, Brachyura) nas regiões de Ubatuba e Caraguatatuba, litoral norte paulista, Brasil

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to characterize the composition and abundance of the marine brachyuran crabs in non-consolidated sublittoral sediments in two regions, Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba, on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. In each region, collections were made monthly at seven depths for two years, July 2001 through to June 2003, from a fishing boat equipped with two double-rig nets. A total of 30,231 crabs were caught (13,305 at Ubatuba and 16,926 at Caraguatatuba), representing nine superfamilies (Dromioidea, Homoloidea, Calappoidea, Leucosioidea, Majoidea, Parthenopoidea, Portunoidea, Xanthoidea and Pinnotheroidea), 16 families, 29 genera and 44 species. Among the total species collected, 31 were common to both regions. Caraguatatuba showed higher species richness (42) and a higher H' diversity index (2.93). For both regions, Callinectes ornatus, Hepatus pudibundus and Libinia spinosa were the most abundant brachyurans. The results indicate that the two regions provide favorable environments for brachyurans, resulting in a locally high biodiversity.Key words: Composition, Biodiversity, Brachyura. ResumoO objetivo do presente estudo foi caracterizar a composição e a abundância dos caranguejos no infralitoral não-consolidado de duas regiões (Ubatuba e Caraguatatuba) do litoral norte paulista, Brasil. Em cada região foram realizadas coletas mensais em sete profundidades, durante o período de dois anos (Julho/ 2001 a Junho/ 2003), utilizando-se um barco de pesca equipado com duas redes do tipo "double-rig". Obteve-se um total de 30.231 caranguejos (13.305 em Ubatuba e 16.926 em Caraguatatuba), abrangendo nove superfamílias (Dromioidea, Homoloidea, Calappoidea, Leucosioidea, Majoidea, Parthenopoidea, Portunoidea, Xanthoidea e Pinnotheroidea), 16 famílias, 29 gêneros e 44 espécies. Do total de espécies coletadas, 31 foram comuns para as duas regiões. Dentre as duas regiões, Caraguatatuba apresentou a maior riqueza de espécies (42)

Population structure of the swimming crab Achelous spinicarpus (Crustacea, Portunoidea) in São Paulo northern coast, Brazil

“…This is common in populations with very high densities, such as A. spinicarpus, which was the second most abundant Brachyura species in Ubatuba and the first in Caraguatatuba (Braga et al, 2005). Populations of this species can occur at so high densities in some depths that, according to a study by Pires (1992), in the Ubatuba region, A. spinicarpus comprised about 90% of the megafauna in areas affected by the water mass South Atlantic Central Water.…”

“…According to Braga et al (2005), Ubatuba presents a high abundance of other species of portunids (possible competitors), more than in Caraguatatuba. Therefore, the fact that Ubatuba presents a greater number of possible competitors may have affected the occurrence of larger individuals in this area.…”

“…On the northern coast of São Paulo, this group is very abundant and presents one of the highest values in species richness, when compared to other brachyurans (Braga et al, 2005;Bertini et al, 2010a). Furthermore, many species of portunoids have a strong fishing potential and high commercial value, constituting an important food resource in most coastal cities.…”

Checklist of the brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the rocky subtidal of Vitória Archipelago, southeast coast of Brazil

“…The crab richness recorded for this region is the highest reported for this kind of habitat on the Brazilian coast, and comprises almost 20% of the total of species recorded from the entire Argentinean Biogeographical Province (see Boschi 2000a). Some studies have demonstrated the significant diversity of brachyuran crabs associated with unconsolidated bottoms on the southeastern Brazilian coast Braga et al 2005;Bertini et al 2010). Despite these available data, the ecology of brachyuran crabs of this region remains little explored, reinforcing the urgency of increasing the research effort to monitor this fauna on the Brazilian coast.…”

Differential habitat use by demographic groups of the redfinger rubble crab Eriphia gonagra (Fabricius, 1781)

“…They also act in processes that influence nutrient and contaminant cycling, such as bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, migration, biodegradation, and bioturbation (Reynoldson, 1987). Part of the benthic fauna live in intertidal zones and depend on this habitat to complete their life cycles; examples include the brachyurans Pachygrapsus transversus (Gibbes, 1850), Hexapanopeus schmitti Rathbun, 1930, and Menippe nodifrons Stimpson, 1859(Flores and Negreiros-Fransozo, 1998Mantelatto and Souza-Carey, 1998;Braga et al, 2005), and other invertebrates such as the isopod Ligia pallasii Brandt, 1833, shrimps and anemones, the anomuran Calcinus tibicen (Herbst, 1791), the mollusk Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1758) among others, respectively studied by Carefoot (1973), Knowlton and Keller (1985), Fransozo and Mantelatto (1998) and Watanabe and Young (2006).…”