Why be cryptic? Choice of host urchin is not based on camouflage in the caridean shrimp Gnathophylloides mineri

Maciá, Silvia; Robinson, Michael

doi:10.1007/s10211-009-0064-7

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(31 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alternatively, caridean prawns living on the pelagic seaweed Sargassum natans select appropriate backgrounds based on their shape, with individuals preferring habitats containing structures that best matched their body shape 24 . Therefore, in some cases, the structure of the habitat allied with a range of behavioural adaptations in the use of that structure may provide better protection from predators than concealing coloration 58 . Since our knowledge of chameleon prawn visual capabilities is limited, it may be that individuals depend upon identifying the structural form of their preferred habitat when making a choice either independently of, or in conjunction with, its coloration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colour change and behavioural choice facilitate chameleon prawn camouflage against different seaweed backgrounds

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Camouflage is driven by matching the visual environment, yet natural habitats are rarely uniform and comprise many backgrounds. Therefore, species often exhibit adaptive traits to maintain crypsis, including colour change and behavioural choice of substrates. However, previous work largely considered these solutions in isolation, whereas many species may use a combination of behaviour and appearance to facilitate concealment. Here we show that green and red chameleon prawns ( Hippolyte varians ) closely resemble their associated seaweed substrates to the vision of predatory fish, and that they can change colour to effectively match new backgrounds. Prawns also select colour-matching substrates when offered a choice. However, colour change occurs over weeks, consistent with seasonal changes in algal cover, whereas behavioural choice of matching substrates occurs in the short-term, facilitating matches within heterogeneous environments. We demonstrate how colour change and behaviour combine to facilitate camouflage against different substrates in environments varying spatially and temporally.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colour change and behavioural choice facilitate chameleon prawn camouflage against different seaweed backgrounds

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[ 76 , 77 ]), Sargassum would probably supply better shelter from predators and more extensive foraging grounds [ 78 , 79 ] compared to Galaxaura . It is also possible that inconspicuous behaviour coupled to shape resemblance to background details [ 18 , 80 , 81 ] in the more complex Sargassum would ultimately render superior predator avoidance. More specific research addressing these issues is pending.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape, colour plasticity, and habitat use indicate morph-specific camouflage strategies in a marine shrimp

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundColour and shape polymorphisms are important features of many species and may allow individuals to exploit a wider array of habitats, including through behavioural differences among morphs. In addition, differences among individuals in behaviour and morphology may reflect different strategies, for example utilising different approaches to camouflage. Hippolyte obliquimanus is a small shrimp species inhabiting different shallow-water vegetated habitats. Populations comprise two main morphs: homogeneous shrimp of variable colour (H) and transparent individuals with coloured stripes (ST). These morphs follow different distribution patterns between their main algal habitats; the brown weed Sargassum furcatum and the pink-red weed Galaxaura marginata. In this study, we first investigated morph-specific colour change and habitat selection, as mechanisms underlying camouflage and spatial distribution patterns in nature. Then, we examined habitat fidelity, mobility, and morphological traits, further indicating patterns of habitat use.ResultsH shrimp are capable of changing colour in just a few days towards their algal background, achieving better concealment in the more marginal, and less preferred, red weed habitat. Furthermore, laboratory trials showed that habitat fidelity is higher for H shrimp, whereas swimming activity is higher for the ST morph, aligned to morphological evidence indicating these two morphs comprise a more benthic (H) and a more pelagic (ST) life-style, respectively.ConclusionsResults suggest that H shrimp utilise a camouflage strategy specialised to a limited number of backgrounds at any one time, whereas ST individuals comprise a phenotype with more generalist camouflage (transparency) linked to a more generalist background utilisation. The coexistence within a population of distinct morphotypes with apparently alternative strategies of habitat use and camouflage may reflect differential responses to substantial seasonal changes in macroalgal cover. Our findings also demonstrate how colour change, behaviour, morphology, and background use all interact in achieving camouflage.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0796-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…Symbiont of shallow water regular sea urchins. In the western Atlantic recorded from L. variegatus and T. ventricosus (Marciá & Robinson 2009;Tavares et al 2017;Vera-Caripe et al 2017).…”

Section: Genus Gnathophylloides Schmitt 1933mentioning

confidence: 99%

The marine palaemonid shrimps (Crustacea, Deapoda, Caridea) of the Dutch Caribbean

FRANSEN

2023

Zootaxa

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Species of the decapod family Palaemonidae are common components of tropical coastal waters and coral reefs. The majority of these species are symbionts of various invertebrate phyla. Despite a long history of research on their species diversity in the Dutch Caribbean, recent field expeditions have yielded much new information. Combined with examinations of specimens housed in Naturalis Biodiversity Center and information from literature, a comprehensive list of Dutch Carribean palaemonids is provided. Newly collected material was primarily identified via morphological analyses. Additional molecular phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial COI and 16S and nuclear Histone 3 (H3) genes were conducted in search of cryptic species on the one hand and to check conspecifity in species that were found on multiple host species on the other hand. In total, 46 species are here listed for the Dutch Caribbean of which 24 are here recorded for the first time for one of the islands. One species new to science was discovered and is herein described. Sixty new host associations are recorded. In light of biodiversity loss and increasing anthropogenic pressure on declining coral reefs, documenting the diversity of palaemonids and other coral reef species to provide baseline data takes on a new urgency.

show abstract

Why be cryptic? Choice of host urchin is not based on camouflage in the caridean shrimp Gnathophylloides mineri

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Colour change and behavioural choice facilitate chameleon prawn camouflage against different seaweed backgrounds

Colour change and behavioural choice facilitate chameleon prawn camouflage against different seaweed backgrounds

Shape, colour plasticity, and habitat use indicate morph-specific camouflage strategies in a marine shrimp

The marine palaemonid shrimps (Crustacea, Deapoda, Caridea) of the Dutch Caribbean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About