Species composition and abundance of the benthic community of Axiidea and Gebiidea (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the Marapanim Bay, Amazon estuary, northern Brazil

Abstract

The thalassinideans (Axiidea and Gebiidea) encompasses approximately 615 species with reclusive habits, generally confined to extensive galleries burrowed into the sand or mud and, more rarely, in openings in reefs or the cavities of sessile animals such as sponges and coral. These species use the galleries for shelter, feeding and breeding, except during the pelagic larval stage. They inhabit estuaries, bays, lagoons, beaches, seas and both tropical and temperate oceanic areas throughout the world, distributed predominantly in the intertidal zone (mid-littoral and infralittoral zones). The aim of the present study was to assess the species composition and abundance of thalassinideans, comparing two micro-habitats (consolidated and non-consolidated substrates), and determine whether there is a correlation between abundance of the organisms and time of the year, collection sites or salinity. Twelve monthly samplings were carried out between August 2006 and July 2007 over consolidated and non-consolidated bottoms of the upper and lower portions of the mid-littoral zones, with three sub-samplings, totaling 48 monthly samples and 576 in all. A total of 651 individuals were collected - 114 Lepidophthalmus siriboia Felder & Rodrigues, 1993 and 537 Upogebia vasquezi Ngoc-Ho, 1989. There was correlation between the abundance of both species and salinity, but U. vasquezi was more abundant in the rainy season. Lepidophthalmus siriboia appears to prefer non-consolidated substrates, whereas U. vasquezi prefers consolidated substrates. The recruitment period for the callianassid L. siriboia appears to occur in just two periods of the year and is more intense in the dry season, whereas U. vasquezi is more frequent throughout the year. The smallest and largest sizes (carapace length - CL) recorded for L. siriboia were smaller than those recorded for the species in northeastern region of Brazil. CL values for ovigerous females suggest that U. vasquezi reaches sexual maturity at a smaller size than L. siriboia

Spatiotemporal distribution and population structure of Clibanariussymmetricus(Randall, 1840) (Crustacea, Diogenidae) in an Amazon estuary

“…The characteristics of the substrate also vary between sectors, with the lower estuary (sector 1) being characterized by a higher density of larger rock fragments. Rocks of similar size are found at site B2, but they are more ferruginous and crumble easily, while at site A2, the rocks are relatively small and covered partially by mud (Silva and Martinelli-Lemos, 2012).…”

“…One other factor that may limit the presence of these organisms to the lower estuary is the sediment. As the lower estuary has rock fragments of larger size (Silva and Martinelli-Lemos, 2012), this may favor the occurrence of the organisms by providing refuge from high temperatures and the physical stress of breaking waves. This may also account for the higher density of C. symmetricus recorded in the lower midlittoral zone, which is less exposed to the sun during the tidal cycle than the upper zone, where relatively high temperatures may cause heat stress and increase the risk of desiccation.…”

“…In addition to providing protection, rocky substrates provide a wider variety of microhabitats, in which many organisms that provide nutritional resources can be found (Fransozo et al, 2008). The rocky outcrops of the estuaries of the Amazon coast harbor a wealth of decapod crustaceans (Oliveira et al, 2012;Silva and Martinelli-Lemos, 2012;Oliveira et al, 2013;Morais and Lee, 2014;Sampaio and Martinelli-Lemos, 2014;Rodrigues and Martinelli-Lemos, 2016;Nóbrega and Martinelli-Lemos, 2016), which may create an environment favorable for the development of hermit crabs.…”

Larval and adult density of the porcellanid crab Petrolisthes armatus (Anomura: Porcellanidae) in an Amazon estuary, northern Brazil

“…DÍAZ-FERGUSON & VARGAS-ZAMORA (2001) collected a total of 15,382 P. armatus crabs in the tropical Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica, between December 1997 and November 1998, with a maximum density of almost 100 individuals/m 2 . Other decapod species also reproduce throughout the year in the Marapanim estuary, such as the thalassinidean shrimps Lepidophthalmus siriboia Felder & Rodrigues, 1993and Upogebia vasquezi Ngoc-Ho, 1989(OLIVEIRA et al 2012, SILVA & MARTINELLI-LEMOS 2012.…”

Reproductive biology and population structure ofAxianassa australis(Crustacea, Axianassidae) on a sand-mud flat in north-eastern Brazil

“…However, in spite of their important role in shaping the community structure in shallow-water habitats (Posey et al, 1991;Nates & Felder, 1998), studies concerning population aspects of American species (e.g. Lemaitre & Rodrigues, 1991;Pezzuto, 1993Pezzuto, , 1998Dumbauld et al, 1996;Shimizu, 1997;Souza & Borzone, 1996;Souza et al, 1998;Nates & Felder, 1999;Corsetti & Strasser, 2003;Botter-Carvalho et al, 2007;Girard, 2009;Simão et al, 2006;Hernáez & Wehrtmann, 2007;Silva & Martinelli-Lemos, 2012) cover only two of the 52 species of Gebiidea recorded for the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas (see Melo, 1999;Sakai, 2006). Among Gebiidea, the family Axianassidae Schmitt, 1924 is a broadly distributed group in tropical waters; the ecology of members of this family is poorly known compared with their relatives, the Upogebiidae (see Felder, 2001;Pillay & Branch, 2011).…”