Observations of life history traits of Typton carneus Holthuis, 1951 (Caridea, Palaemonidae): a poorly known sponge-dwelling shrimp

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate some life history traits of the palaemonid shrimp Typton carneus collected from a reef in northeastern Brazil. Samples of the sponges Amphimedon compressa, A. viridis, Desmapsamma anchorata, Dysidea etheria, Haliclona implexiformis and Tedania ignis were analyzed and shrimps were removed from them. A total of 41 individuals were found in Te. ignis, three in H. implexiformis and one in D. etheria; the latter two sponges are new records of sponge hosts for Ty. carneus. Of the specimens associated with Te. ignis, 24 were males, 10 ovigerous females, six non-ovigerous females and one juvenile male. Fecundity varied between 19 to 56 eggs (37 ± 14) per female, and the mean egg volume was 0.033 ± 0.010 mm³. Eleven heterosexual pairs were obtained. Characteristics of the pairs suggest a monogamous mating system for the studied population, such as: the absence of sexual dimorphism in weaponry and body size and presence of paired non-brooding and brooding females carrying eggs in different development stages; and a sex ratio that does not differ from the expected 1:1. However, the lack of size-assortative pairing as well as the low proportion of pairs, compared to solitary individuals, have been observed in polygamous mating systems.

A report on new sponge-ophiuroid associations and reinforcement of scientific knowledge

“…Topsentia ophiraphidites and D. etheria occur in the tropical western Atlantic (Hajdu et al, 2011), with T. ophiraphidites being associated especially with tunicates and other sponges (Hajdu et al, 2011), while D. etheria is commonly associated with microorganisms (Batista et al, 2018) and other animals, such as crustaceans (Paixão et al, 2021), bryozoans (Almeida et al, 2015), and echinoderms, including associations with the exotic species Ophiothela mirabilis (Verrill, 1867) (Mantelatto et al, 2016). Despite the generalist behavior of this ophiuroid, these associations can be facilitated by the erect (despite the variety of forms that T. ophiraphidites may present) and massive structures of these sponges, which make the environment favorable for the life of ophiuroids; by the extracts released that can favor feeding; and by the environment in which they are inserted (Frith, 1976).…”