Ostrea puelchana (D Orbigny 1842): a new host of Tumidotheres maculatus (Say, 1818) in northern Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Tumidotheres maculatus has been reported as a commensal of Mytilus platensis and Atrina seminuda and suggested as a parasite of Aequipecten tehuelchus in San Matías Gulf (SMG). The native flat oyster, Ostrea puelchana, has been studied in SMG for decades, and no crab-oyster association has been reported. In autumn-spring 2009 and 2010, oysters were collected from four banks in SMG, and the occurrence of T. maculatus inside the pallial cavity of O. puelchana was recorded. The prevalence varied between sites, with 0-12.5% at El Sótano, 0-16.7% at Caleta de los Loros, and no crabs found in the samples from Las Grutas and Puerto Lobos. Infected oysters hosted a single crab. Oysters were infested by either one male (47.7%) or one female (15.1%). A positive but low correlation was found for male crab size and oyster size. The presence of these crabs inside the oysters could be due to the overlap of the distribution areas of O. puelchana and other bivalve hosts. Our findings may also be a consequence of local fishing. Commercial extraction of traditional hosts may have caused crabs to look for new hosts.

RECORD OF Ostrea puelchana D’ORBIGNY, 1842 (BIVALVIA: OSTREIDAE), AS NEW EPIBIONT IN Eriphia gonagra (FABRICIUS, 1781) (CRUSTACEA: ERIPHIIDAE) FROM NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

“…as observed in C. exasperatus) (Lima et al, 2017) and in E. gonagra (present study). In the same way, the species of O. puelchana can be host from many others decapods as observed by Martins and D'lncao (1996), which analyzed the presence of the pea crab Z. ostreum as endosymbiont of O. puelchana, while Doldan et al (2012) reported from the same ostreid host species the endosymbiont Tumidotheres maculatus (Say, 1818). Thus, here in we observed the opportunistic fixation observed by O. puelchana on the new basibiont E. gonagra from Brazilian coast.…”

“…The use of the hard substrate by the ostreid species O. puelchana, especially the use of the carapaces of the brachyuran crabs for the fixation, can be an advantage for the geographic distribution of the oyster along the Brazilian and Argentine provinces, due to wide mobility provided by these individuals from different coastal regions, which allows the occurrence of this species on a wide range of hosts (basibionts) (Doldan et al, 2012;Lima et al, 2017). The associations of O. puelchana with many crustaceans in the natural environment can be observed in different levels of occupation, as the use of crustacean as basibiont (e.g.…”

TWO IN ONE: REPORT OF TWO EPIBIONTS GROUPS ON THE Callinectes bocourti A. MILNE-EDWARDS, 1879 (DECAPODA: PORTUNIDAE) FROM THE AMAZON PROVINCE

“…1 Introduction pibiosis is the main mechanism used by marine benthic sessile organisms in search of settlement for their development on hard substrates (ABELLÓ et al, 1990;NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO et al, 1995;EMPARANZA et al 2011). For the attachment in hard bottoms, the individuals present a wide range of morphological and behavioral adaptations, enabling survival in the aquatic environment (WAHL, 2008;DOLDAN et al, 2012). However, in aquatic habitats, hard substrate is limited or it exhibits high competition for space, especially in estuarine and coastal areas, where soft sediments and high levels of sedimentation are common (WAHL, 2008;LIMA et al, 2017).…”