Epizoan Communities on Marine Turtles

Abstract

Abstract. Marine turtles harbour a variety of epizoa, some of which are specific to these hosts, but shelled gastropod and bivalve mollusks were previously unrecorded on marine turtles. Thousands of turtles of five species from all major oceans were examined. Loggerheads, Caretta caretta, from Greece and the states of Georgia and Florida, USA, were the most remarkable hosts to mollusks. At least 15 species of bivalves and 5 species of gastropods were found on turtles. Many turtles hosting mollusks carried only one species and few individuals. Edible oysters, the most common molluscan epizoan on Grecian Loggerheads, may grow to more than 10cm in diameter, so in some cases the mollusks may survive for several years on the turtle. Large epizoan bivalves may in turn serve themselves as substrates for epizoa, molluscan or otherwise. There are no known obligate relationships between turtles and mollusks, although there may be a parasitic relationship between the Loggerhead turtle, a spirorchid blood fluke, and a gastropod intermediate host. It is unknown if turtles carrying mollusks are at a disadvantage.

Carapace epibionts of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at Canaveral National Seashore, Florida

“…Membranipora membranacea (Linnaeus) (Hughes 1974) and Bugula neritina (Linnaeus) (Caine 1986) have been reported from loggerheads. Frazier et al (1992) report bryozoans from three turtle species (Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz), C. mydas and C. caretta). More recent studies by Frick et al (1998) (loggerheads) and by Schä rer (2001) (hawksbills) have documented 12 additional epibiotic bryozoans.…”

“…In both cases at least one bryozoan species was found to be common, occurring on up to 100% of loggerhead and 58% of hawksbills. While the costs of hosting bryozoans are most likely insignificant, the benefits of attaching to migratory turtles may provide vast dispersal opportunities for the bryozoans (Frazier et al 1992).…”

Composition of the organismic assemblage associated with Caretta caretta

“…Information on the species diversity of certain macrobenthic taxa in the assemblage associated with C. caretta has been also given by Frazier et al (1985Frazier et al ( , 1991Frazier et al ( , 1992; Abel Sentu¤ es et al (1999) and Frick et al ( , 2003.…”

Epibiontes en juveniles de tortugas carey Eretmochelys imbricata varadas en la costa del Departamento de Rocha, Uruguay

“…e Hincksia mitchelliae, ambas filamentosas pertenecientes a la clase Phaeophyceae. Las especies del género Sphacelaria son comunes en gran parte del océano Atlántico (AlgaeBase 2015) y ha sido previamente descrito como epibionte de la tortuga carey en las costas de Australia (Cribb 1969) y Tanzania (Frazier et al 1992). Por otro lado, Hincksia mitchelliae ha sido registrada en asociación a la tortuga cabezona en el Atlántico Oriental (Liria 2011).…”