Shell occupation by the South Atlantic endemic hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Moreira, 1901) (Anomura: Diogenidae)

The evaluation of population characteristics, particularly those of endemic species, aids in population preservation and management. Hermit crabs present an innate behavior of occupying shells, which tends to individual needs and limits their distribution. This study characterized the pattern of occupation of gastropod shells by the hermit Loxopagurus loxochelis in three bays of the southwestern coast of Brazil. Monthly collections were made from January/1998 to December/1999 in the bays Ubatumirim (UBM), Ubatuba (UBA) and Mar Virado (MV) with a shrimping boat. Overall, ten species of gastropod shells were occupied by L. loxochelis. The shell of Olivancillaria urceus represented 66.8% of those occupied. Morphometric relationships demonstrated a differential occupation of the more abundant shells among demographic groups, where most of the males occupied O. urceus, non-ovigerous females occupied O. urceus and Buccinanops cochlidium, and ovigerous females occupied B. cochlidium and Stramonita haemastoma. Most of the individuals occupied the more abundant shells, considered adequate for the morphology of this hermit crab species. Thus, the studied bays seem to be stable and propitious environments for population perpetuation and the settlement of new individuals.

Male reproductive system of the red brocade hermit crab Dardanus insignis (Diogenidae) and its relationship to other family members

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Molecular barcode and morphological analyses reveal the taxonomic and biogeographical status of the striped-legged hermit crab species Clibanarius sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796) and Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Decapoda: Diogenidae)

The taxonomic status of the species Clibanarius sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796) and Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802), which have sympatric biogeographical distributions restricted to the western Atlantic Ocean, is based only on differences in the colour pattern of the walking legs of adults. Their morphological similarity led to the suggestion that they be synonymised. In order to investigate this hypothesis, we included species of Clibanarius Dana, 1892 in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene and the COI barcode region. In addition, we combined the molecular results with morphological observations obtained from several samples of these two species. The genetic divergences of the 16S rDNA and COI sequences between C. sclopetarius and C. vittatus ranged from 4.5 to 5.9% and 9.4 to 11.9%, which did not justify their synonymisation. Differences in the telson morphology, chela ornamentation, and coloration of the eyestalks and antennal peduncle provided support for the separation of the two species. Another interesting result was a considerable genetic difference found between populations of C. vittatus from Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico, which may indicate the existence of two homonymous species.

Comparative analysis of shell occupation by two southern populations of the hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Decapoda, Diogenidae)

The present study aimed to comparatively verify the relation between the hermit crabs and the shells they use in two populations of Loxopagurus loxochelis. Samples were collected monthly from July 2002 to June 2003, at Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba Bay, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The animals sampled had their sex identified, were weighed and measured; their shells were identified, measured and weighed, and their internal volume determined. To relate the hermit crab's characteristics and the shells' variables, principal component analysis (PCA) and a regression tree were used. According to the PCA analysis, the three gastropod shells most frequently used by L. loxochelis varied in size. The regression tree successfully explained the relationship between the hermit crab's characteristics and the internal volume of the inhabited shell. It can be inferred that the relationship between the morphometry of an individual hermit crab and its shell is not straightforward and it is impossible to explain only on the basis of direct correlations between the body's and the shell's attributes. Several factors (such as the morphometry and the availability of the shell, environmental conditions and inter- and intraspecific competition) interact and seem to be taken into consideration by the hermit crabs when they choose a shell, resulting in the diversified pattern of shell occupancy shown here and elsewhere.

Reproductive apparatus of the male giant hermit crab Petrochirus diogenes (Anomura, Diogenidae): morphology and phylogenetic implications

We describe the male reproductive apparatus of the giant hermit crab Petrochirus diogenes, with morphological and biometric analyses of the spermatophore, the gonopore and the ultrastructure of the spermatozoa. Specimens were collected from the southern coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Morphological analyses were done using stereoscopic, light, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The reproductive system of this hermit crab is composed of elongate and lobular testes followed by vasa deferentia that connect to the exterior via gonopores. The gonopores are ovoid and surrounded by setae, and each gonopore is composed of a membranous operculum that forms a depression constituting the gonopore opening. The gonopore constitutes a unique structure among the Diogenidae due to its number of setae. The spermatophores are tripartite, composed of a sperm-containing ampulla, a peduncle and a proximal foot. The spermatozoon has 3 main regions (acrosomal vesicle, nucleus and cytoplasm). The structure of the spermatophore indicates that this species can be considered an exception within Diogenidae with regard to spermatophore morphology and can therefore be used for phylogenetic inferences.

Comparative analysis of shell occupation by two southern populations of the hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Decapoda, Diogenidae)

The present study aimed to comparatively verify the relation between the hermit crabs and the shells they use in two populations of Loxopagurus loxochelis. Samples were collected monthly from July 2002 to June 2003, at Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba Bay, São Paulo, Brazil. The animals sampled had their sex identified, were weighed and measured; their shells were identified, measured and weighed, and their internal volume determined. To relate the hermit crab's characteristics and the shells' variables, principal component analysis (PCA) and a regression tree were used. According to the PCA analysis, the three gastropod shells most frequently used by L. loxochelis varied in size. The regression tree successfully explained the relationship between the hermit crab's characteristics and the internal volume of the inhabited shell. It can be inferred that the relationship between the morphometry of an individual hermit crab and its shell is not straightforward and it is impossible to explain only on the basis of direct correlations between the body's and the shell's attributes. Several factors (such as the morphometry and the availability of the shell, environmental conditions and inter- and intraspecific competition) interact and seem to be taken into consideration by the hermit crabs when they choose a shell, resulting in the diversified pattern of shell occupancy shown here and elsewhere.

Growth of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Crustacea, Anomura, Diogenidae) at São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar o crescimento de machos e fêmeas do ermitão Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802), da região de São Vicente, São Paulo, Brasil. Foram realizadas coletas mensais de maio/2001 a abril/2003, na Praia dos Pescadores em São Vicente. Os 2.501 animais capturados foram identificados, determinados quanto ao sexo e mensurados quanto ao seu comprimento de escudo cefalotorácico (CEC). Para o estudo sazonal do crescimento, a população foi dividida em classes de tamanho de 5mm de (CEC), e analisada pelo método de Bertalanffy, com o auxílio do software Fisat II. Foram obtidos 703 indivíduos machos e 1.798 fêmeas, com média de tamanho de 8.94±1.80 e 6.61±1.13mm, respectivamente. Constatou-se um padrão de crescimento sazonal, com machos atingindo um tamanho assintótico (14.92mm) superior ao das fêmeas (13.85mm), além de iniciarem o processo de crescimento aproximadamente cinco meses antes destas. Desta forma, é provável que este seja um padrão que auxilia na diminuição da disputa intra-específica por conchas, uma vez que os machos atingiram maior tamanho e estariam disponibilizando conchas menores para as fêmeas.

First record of Calcinus tubularis on the southern coast of Portugal (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae)

Twenty-five specimens of the hermit crab Calcinus tubularis were observed during SCUBA dives for fauna and flora assessment in the shallow rocky reefs of the southern coast of Portugal between 2003 and 2008. Of the specimens observed, only one specimen used a tube gallery, while the others occupied unidentified gastropod shells with strong bio-cover. Calcinus tubularis is here recorded from the mainland Portuguese coast for the first time. This is the first record of the species in European coastal waters outside the Mediterranean Sea (excluding the Atlantic Islands) and extends the known geographical distribution of the species further north in the north-eastern Atlantic.

A comparative study of population traits between two South American populations of the striped-legged hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ecological aspects of hermit crabs (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguroidea) off the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

The occurrence of species of hermit crabs and their ecological distribution in soft bottoms off Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil were analyzed. To better understand the distribution of the species in relation to environmental factors, the similarity and species-diversity indexes were calculated. Paguroideans were sampled monthly from January through December 2000. The trawls were made with two otter-trawl nets at 13 different sites, at depths of 2-40 m. Water temperature, salinity, sediment texture, and organic matter content were measured. Gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs were also assessed. A total of 1,238 specimens was collected, belonging to the families Diogenidae and Paguridae, comprising seven genera and thirteen species. The most abundant hermit crab species were Dardanus insignis (761 specimens) and Loxopagurus loxochelis (351 specimens). Phimochirus holthuisi is newly reported from the São Paulo coast. The highest diversity index was found for the shallower sites near rocky shores. The results of the grouping analysis for sites and species indicated three distinct groups for sites, and four groups for species. This suggests that the occurrence of these anomurans is associated with the environmental and biotic factors analyzed.

Composição e distribuição dos Crustácea (Decapoda) na Lagoa do Peixe, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

The Lagoa do Peixe (Peixe's Lagoon) is located between Atlantic Ocean and Lagoa dos Patos and is 30 Km long and 0,5-2,0 Km wide (31º13'S, 50º55'W -31º26'S, 51º09'). For one year, the composition and distribution of Crustácea Decapoda were analyzed monthly (from July/1994 to June/1995), in seven subareas (terrestrial border and aquatic area) and physical and chemical parameters (depth, salinity, sediment texture, oxygen in water, organic material of sediment and water temperature) were registered. Decapoda from the families Grapsidae, Ocypodidae, Portunidae (Brachyura), Diogenidae (Anomura) and Penaeidae (Penaeidea) were captured. Chasmagnathus granulata Dana 1851 was found ali months near the canal connecting Atlantic Ocean and Lagoa do Peixe, but inside the lagoon it was collected only in October/94 and June/95, and in extreme subareas it was sampled in February/95 when the salinity was 31 at these sites. Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 and Cyrtograpsus angulatus Dana, 1851 were captured throughout the year, except October/94 and April/95, respectively. Both species were found in ali áreas of sample, indicating a high plasticity in relation to the factors analyzed in this study. Another species captured probably come in the lagoon in specific months, when the environment provides ideal conditions for their develo-pments.

Morphometry and sexual maturity of the tropical hermit crab Calcinus tibicen (Crustacea, Anomura) from Brazil

Ontogenetic changes in relative growth were studied in the hermit crab Calcinus tibicen in order to determine its growth phases with sexual maturity. Specimens were collected at 2-month intervals for two consecutive years. A total of 570 individuals was collected and analysed. Total mean animal size in terms of shield length was 5.14±1.23mm for males, 4.23±0.79mm for females and 4.53±0.60mm for ovigerous females. Sexual dimorphism in chela dimensions was stronger in males than in females. Differences between males and females were found in left propodus length (LPL) and height (LPH) versus shield length (SL) and wet weight (WW) versus SL relationships. Males showed a high positive allometry, while juveniles and adult females were isometric for the LPL/SL relationship. Negative allometry was observed in adult females in the LPL/SL relationship. The size at which a differentiation occurred in the growth of the chelipeds and in the weight gain of males and females was between 3.0 and 3.2mm SL, suggesting that sexual maturity occurs in small-sized individuals in the life cycle of C. tibicen.

Are the preference and selection patterns of hermit crabs for gastropod shells species- or site-specific?

Experimental analyses of hermit crabs and their preferences for shells are essential to understand the intrinsic relationship of the crabs` dependence on shells, and may be useful to explain their shell use pattern in nature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of crab species and site on the pattern of shell use, selection, and preference in the south-western Atlantic hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and Pagurus criniticornis, comparing sympatric and allopatric populations. Differently from the traditional approach to evaluate shell preference by simply determining the shell selection pattern (i.e., the number of shells of each type selected), preference was defined (according to [Liszka, D., Underwood, AJ., 1990. An experimental design to determine preferences for gastropod shells by a hermit-crab. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 137(1), 47-62]) by the comparison of the number of crabs changing for a particular shell type when three options were given (Cerithium atratum, Morula nodulosa, and Tegula viridula) with the number of crabs changing for this same type when only this type was offered. The effect of crab species was tested at Cabelo Gordo Beach, where P. brevidacrylus was found occupying shells of C. atratum, M. nodulosa, and T viridula in similar frequencies, whereas P. criniticornis occupied predominantly shells of C atratum. In laboratory experiments the selection patterns of the two hermit-crab species for these three gastropods were different, with P criniticornis selecting mainly shells of C atratum, and R brevidactylus selecting more shells of M. nodulosa. The shell preference was also dependent on crab species, with P. criniticornis showing a clear preference for shells of C atratum, whereas P. brevidactylus did not show a preference for any of the tested shells. The effect of site was tested for the two species comparing data from Cabelo Gordo to Preta (P brevidactylus) and Araca beaches (P. criniticornis). The pattern of shell use, selection, and preference was demonstrated to be dependent on site only for P. brevidactylus. The results also showed that the shell use pattern of P criniticornis can be explained by its preference at both sites, whereas for P. brevidactylus it occurred only at Cabelo Gordo, where the absence of preference was correlated with the similar use of the three gastropod species studied. Finally, the results showed that the shell selection pattern cannot be considered as a measure of shell preference, since it overestimates crab selectivity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.