Shell use by the hermit crab <i>Calcinus californiensis</i> at different levels of the intertidal zone

Abstract

SUMMARY:The gastropod shell use of the hermit crab Calcinus californiensis was studied at Troncones, Guerrero, Méx-ico. Hermit crabs were captured at two different levels of the intertidal zone, in wave-protected and wave-exposed sites. C. californiensis occupied shells of 18 gastropod species. At both wave-action sites, Cantharus sanguinolentus was the most occupied shell. Columbella sp. was used more by females than by males, and Nerita scabricosta was more used by males. The frequency of use of the shells was different between the different wave sites. N. scabricosta and Columbella sp. were occupied more at the wave-protected than at the exposed sites; C. sanguinolentus and Stramonita biserialis were occupied more at the exposed sites. The hermit crabs at the wave-exposed sites occupied heavier and thicker shells compared with the crabs from the protected sites. The Olmstead-Tukey diagram showed eight shell species as dominant in the wave-protected sites, and seven in the wave-exposed sites. Ten shell species were rare in the wave-protected sites, and six in the waveexposed sites. The rare shells occupied by the hermit crabs were relatively heavier than the dominant shells in both site types. Our results suggest that the shell weight is important in sites that are greatly affected by the hydrodynamics.Keywords: gastropod shell, hermit crab, Calcinus californiensis, waves, Olmstead-Tukey, intertidal. RESUMEN: Uso de conchas por el cangrejo ermitaño CalCinus Californiensis en diferentes niveles de la zona intermareal. -El uso de conchas de gasterópodo por el cangrejo ermitaño Calcinus californiensis fue estudiado en Troncones, Guerrero, México. Los cangrejos ermitaños se capturaron en dos niveles diferentes de la zona intermareal, en sitios protegidos y expuestos al oleaje. C. californiensis ocupó conchas de 18 especies de gasterópodo. Cantharus sanguinolentus fue la concha más ocupada considerando ambos sitios. Columbella sp. fue más ocupada por las hembras que por los machos y Nerita scabricosta fue más ocupada por los machos. La frecuencia de uso de las conchas de las diversas especies difirió entre ambos sitios. N. scabricosta y Columbella sp. fueron más ocupadas en la zona protegida al oleaje que en la zona expuesta; C. sanguinolentus y Stramonita biserialis fueron más ocupadas en los sitios expuestos. Los cangrejos ermitaños ocuparon conchas más pesadas y más gruesas en la zona expuesta al oleaje que en la zona protegida. El diagrama Olmstead-Tukey mostró como dominantes las conchas de ocho especies en la zona protegida del oleaje y siete en el sitio expuesto; como raras las conchas de diez especies en la zona protegida y seis en la expuesta. Las conchas agrupadas como raras en ambas zonas fueron relativamente más pesadas que las conchas agrupadas como dominantes. Los resultados sugieren que el peso de las conchas es un factor importante para los ermitaños en las zonas con alta influencia hidrodinámica.

Shell preference in a hermit crab: comparison between a matrix of paired comparisons and a multiple-alternative experiment

“…However, if all the shell species tested were fully available for hermit crabs in nature, it would be expected that most of the hermit crabs population would occupy Cantharus or Stramonita shells, though this does not happen (Arce and Alcaraz 2011). Instead, it seems that shell occupancy depends to some extent on shell availability, which suggests that other factors besides preference, such as competition, play an important role in shell use at Playa Troncones.…”

“…Shells with this architecture have been reported as the most occupied in the rocky intertidal zone in sites with high wave action (Argüelles et al 2009). These shell species are relatively heavy compared to the less-preferred species, Nerita and Columbella (Arce and Alcaraz 2011). According to some authors, shell weight seems to be positively associated with hydrodynamic advantages in wave-exposed areas (Hahn 1998;Argüelles et al 2009) and with a lesser predatory risk (Bertness and Cunningham 1981).…”

“…The pattern of shell use is known to be dependent on shell availability (Turra and Leite 2001;Argüelles-Ticó et al 2010;Arce and Alcaraz 2011) and shell preference (Bertness 1980;Biagi et al 2006;Mantelatto et al 2007;Meireles et al 2008). Hermit crabs choose shells according to species or shape (Sato and Jensen 2005;Mantelatto et al 2007), size (Hazlett 1992), shell condition (McClintock 1985;Pechenik et al 2001), the previous experience of the crab (Meireles et al 2008;Alcaraz and Kruesi 2009), and the developmental and reproductive stage of the crab (Elwood et al 1979).…”

“…Shells were weighed (ShM) and measured for shell length (ShL), width (ShW), and aperture (length, ShAL; width, ShAW). We used crabs within a small size range to test the preference for six species, because not all shells were available in all sizes (Arce and Alcaraz 2011). The size range of hermit crabs varied between 0.05 and 0.25 g (4.9-6.6 mm SL).…”

Shell occupation by the hermit crab Dardanus insignis (Decapoda, Diogenidae) from the north Coast of São Paulo state, Brazil

“…Although the process of shell selection has been investigated exhaustively (e.g. Hazlett, 1992;Bertini and Fransozo, 2000;Meireles and Mantelatto, 2005;Bulinski, 2007;Laidre, 2011;Arce and Alcaraz, 2011), the landscape of a given location can regulate the persistence (or lack thereof) of these anomurans, particularly due to their capacity to influence the community that provides shell resources, i.e. the abundance and diversity of gastropods (Meireles et al, 2003).…”