Shell occupation and ectosymbionts of two hermit crab species in the South Atlantic: a comparative analysis

Abstract

This study characterized shell occupation by two species of hermit crabs and analysed the occurrence of ectosymbionts on their shells, in a comparative way. The hermit crabsClibanarius antillensisandCalcinus tibicenwere selected for this comparative study because of their abundance and wide distributions. Specimens were collected manually during spring low tides every 2 months, from February 2011 to January 2012 in north-eastern Brazil (03°S), and in south-eastern Brazil (23°S). The populations showed different patterns of shell occupation and ectosymbiont coverage. The plasticity of these ecological traits is discussed in a broad context and possibly correlated to habitat differences.

Gastropod shell utilisation pattern by the hermit crabClibanarius symmetricus(Anomura: Diogenidae) in an Equatorial Amazon estuary

“…Shell occupancy does not occur randomly, but is rather influenced by several factors, such as shell availability in nature, weight, size, shape and/or internal shell volume, suitability of shell size and shape, or even intra-and interspecific competition among hermit crabs (Martinelli and Mantelatto 1999;Mantelatto and Garcia 2000;Garcia and Mantelatto 2001;Meireles et al 2003;Dominciano and Mantelatto 2004;Mantelatto and Meireles 2004;Meireles and Mantelatto 2005;Biagi et al 2006b;Sant'Anna et al 2006a;Fransozo et al 2008). The presence of epibionts on shells is also a factor that may provide camouflage in combination with the substrate and influence the shell selection by hermit crabs (Martinelli and Mantelatto 1998; Ayres-Peres and Mantelatto 2010; Ribeiro et al 2015). Shell occupancy might also vary between sexes due to differential energy investment or differential growth, or even competition between sexes (Mantelatto and Martinelli 2001;Fantucci et al 2008).…”

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

“…As adaptation to fixation in environments with high hydrodynamics and sedimentation levels, fouling organisms use the body structures of other groups for adherence (MCDERMOTT, 2006;RIBEIRO et al, 2016). This is widely observed for mollusks and crustaceans (barnacles), and also for other invertebrates and vertebrates (EMPARANZA et al, 2011;GÓNGORA-GÓMEZ et al, 2015).…”