Epibiont communities of the two spider crabs Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards,1834) and Hyastenus hilgendorfi (De Man, 1887) in Great Bitter Lakes, Suez Canal,Egypt.

Abstract

The epibiont communities of the two spider crabs Schizophrys aspera and Hyastenus hilgendorfi in Great Bitter Lakes were studied during spring and summer of 2011. A sum of six taxa including twelve species of epibionts was recorded on each of the two investigated crabs. Most of the epibionts were including Protozoa, Hydrozoa, Polychaeta, Cirripedia, Bryozoa and tunicates. Generally, Cirripedia and Polychaeta dominated the other epibiont species on the two investigated spider crabs. Barnacles were the most widespread species on the four examined parts of Schizophrys aspera, whereas the abdomen of Hyastenus hilgendorfi was commonly covered with polychaetes, followed by barnacles while tunicates were dominating on mouth parts, carapace and limbs. Abundance of epibionts increased as the crab size increased.

Epibionts of an Introduced King Crab in the Barents Sea: A Second Five-Year Study

“…The results of statistical analyses showed that host size is the most important factor affecting the indices of infestation (Table 2). Greater prevalence levels for associated species on larger crabs seem to be a common pattern in crustaceans and other hosts [70][71][72][73]. Large adult crabs provide a larger area for settling organisms.…”

Epibiotic Communities of the Senatorial Scallop Mimachlamys sanguinea (Linnaeus, 1758) (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) from the Expansion Channel of the Suez Canal, Egypt

“…Many authors documented the phenomenon of epifouling in the Suez Canal (Emara & Belal, 2004;Sallam & Wicksten, 2009;Ibrahim, 2012). Ten macro-faunal species have been reported on the exoskeleton of the two spider crabs Hyastenus hilgendorfi (de Man, 1887) and Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) inhabiting the Suez Canal, polychaetes, barnacles and tunicates being the dominant epibionts (Ibrahim, 2012).…”

Reproductive biology of the Suez Canal spider crab Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards, 1834: Crustacea: Brachyura: Majidae)

“…Although studying different biological aspects of the spider crabs from the Suez Canal attracted the attention of many authors (Ibrahim, 2012, Ibrahim, 2014, Madkour et al, 2012, Ibrahim and Amin, 2013), there appears to be no published reproductive biology study for S . aspera in the Suez Canal, and this study is, therefore, an attempt to provide reproductive biology information.…”