Hitching a ride on a hermit crabs home: Movement of gastropod shells inhabited by hermit crabs

There is little information on the movement and connectivity patterns for many species. The movement by shells occupied by the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus and the organisms encrusting these shells was investigated on the south coast of Wales (UK). Hermit crabs shells moved considerable distances along the shore over 1 month periods, moving a minimum mean distance (±SE) of 148 (±8) and 174 (±9) m from release sites in the January and August respectively. Hermit crab-inhabited shells were also found to travel across habitats (sandy areas) that are unsuitable for both hermit crabs and epibionts. Through the examination of 150 of the most abundant shells used by P. bernhardus (Nucella lapillus), twelve epibiont species were found (10 animal and 2 algal species) and choice experiments demonstrated that hermit crabs preferred epibiont covered shells (84%), compared with bare shells (16%). The distance that shells were moved and the preference of hermit crabs for epibiont encrusted shells, coupled with the ability for epibionts to cross unsuitable habitats, may provide a dispersal advantage for epibiont species.     

The Epibiotic and Endolithic Species Associated with the Gastropod Shells inhabited by the Hermit Crabs Paguristes Oculatus and Pagurus Cuanensis

Abstract. Over 120 species, including epizoites, endolithic organisms, and an epiflora are associated with the gastropod shells inhabited by the hermit crabs Paguristes oculatus and Pagurus cuanensis in the North Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste). The symbiotic organisms include members of three trophic levels - primary producers (rhodophytes), primary consumers (active and passive filter feeders), and secondary consumers (carnivorous species). Many of the invertebrates show a preferred distribution on the shells. The shells are a mobile substratum for a specific community. They are a sediment- and predator-free surface, and for their size are extremely stable substrates in terms of both time and orientation.
The hermit crab microbiocoenosis is a dynamic phenomenon that can be studied as a functional unit. The symbionts are responsible for two simultaneous processes - a constructive and a destructive process on the shells. Shell deterioration is due primarily to biological processes, not to mechanical destruction. The more frequently occurring species were classified according to their role in reinforcing or weakening shell structure. These developments are related to hermit crab activity. Epizoites grow through several shell changes by hermit crabs, and a number of forms are capable of surviving the final deposition of the shells.     

Behaviour of some New Zealand sea anemones and their molluscan and crustacean hosts

The sea anemones Calliactis conchicola Parry, 1952 and Paracalliactis rosea Hand, 1975, which live associated with gastropods, hermit crabs, and true crabs, possess mounting responses similar to those known for several species of Calliactis. In some areas of New Zealand Calliactis conchicola occurs most abundantly on living gastropods and in others on gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs. No behaviour by either the gastropod or the hermit crabs was observed which explains this differential distribution. One hermit crab stimulates Paracalliactis rosea to mount its shell by a regular tapping of the anemone with its chelae or dactyls, but ignores Calliactis conchicola. Several other hermit crabs, which may be found carrying these anemones, do not stimulate them to mount. The spider crab Leptomithrax longipes may be found in nature carrying specimens of four kinds of anemones: Calliactis conchicola, Paracalliactis rosea, Bunodactis chrysobathys, and Phellia aucklandica. This crab prises these anemones from most substrates with its chelae, cleans them with its mouth parts, and places them on its legs and carapace with its chelae. From observation, Calliactis conchicola apparently protects this crab from octopus predatiori, but not from other predators such as small sharks. Though associations of anemones with hermit crabs and other invertebrates are usually considered to be commensal, it seems likely that these associations may be mutualistic.     

Shell use by sympatric hermit crab species in a seasonally open coastal lagoon in Northeastern Brazil

There are gaps in what is known about the patterns of gastropod shell use by hermit crabs in Brazilian lagoon areas, especially in Northeastern Brazil. However, this is important because the understanding of selection patterns provides information on life history and eco‐evolutionary conceptions of paguroids. The present study investigated the use of gastropod shells occupied by Pagurus criniticornis and Clibanarius sclopetarius in a coastal lagoon seasonally connected to an estuary and to the sea, correlating eco‐evolutionary aspects and hydrodynamic characters. The study was carried out between February 2013 and January 2014. Hermit crabs and their shells were identified and measured (hermit crabs’ cephalothorax shield length and width, major propodus length and height, weight, shell total length and width, shell aperture length and width). Partial least squares regression was used to analyse the morphometric data. Additionally, a multinomial proportions test was performed to infer patterns (inter‐/intra‐specific) of shells’ occupation. Hermit crab species occupied a total of 13 types of shells, predominantly those of Neritina virginea (67.83%). The shell weight was the most important determinant of shell occupancy in the morphometric model (variable importance in projection >1). The proportions of N. virginea shells used were similar in both species of hermit crabs, except between the sexes of P. criniticornis. Presumably, the high utilization rate of N. virginea shells is related to its abundance and dispersal, and to the shells’ suitability for hermit crabs, which is reflected by the morphometric model, as well as by the hydrodynamics of the lagoon‐estuarine environment. The relative occupation of different types of shells for each species of hermit crabs studied appears to be associated with regulation by inter‐/intra‐specific competition, which fosters the co‐occurrence of those populations. These results endorse coastal lagoons as a refuge and recruitment area for aquatic fauna. In addition, it highlights a challenge in the management and conservation of paguroid species whose population dynamics depend on the resources coming from the Gastropoda community.     

Boldness in a deep sea hermit crab to simulated tactile predator attacks is unaffected by ocean acidification

Despite rapidly growing interest in the effects of ocean acidification on marine animals, the ability of deep-sea animals to acclimate or adapt to reduced pH conditions has received little attention. Deep-sea species are generally thought to be less tolerant of environmental variation than shallow-living species because they inhabit relatively stable conditions for nearly all environmental parameters. To explore whether deep-sea hermit crabs (Pagurus tanneri) can acclimate to ocean acidification over several weeks, we compared behavioral “boldness,” measured as time taken to re-emerge from shells after a simulated predatory attack by a toy octopus, under ambient (pH ～7.6) and expected future (pH ～7.1) conditions. The boldness measure for crab behavioral responses did not differ between different pH treatments, suggesting that future deep-sea acidification would not influence anti-predatory behavior. However, we did not examine the effects of olfactory cues released by predators that may affect hermit crab behavior and could be influenced by changes in the ocean carbonate system driven by increasing CO₂ levels.     

Intraspecific Interactions and Risk of Predation for Dyspanopeus sayi (Decapoda: Xanthidae) Living on Polychaete (Filograna implexa,Serpulidae) Colonies*

Abstract. Along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi frequently occurs in crevices and depressions within aggregated calcareous tubes (termed “heads”) of the serpulid polychaete Filograna implexa. In New Jersey, U.S.A., waters, crab number was significantly correlated with the logarithm of worm tube colony volume. Laboratory experiments suggested that crabs compete for shelter within worm colonies. Additional laboratory experiments indicated that colony occupancy greatly decreased the risk of predation by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), and field tethering experiments also demonstrated that colony occupancy significantly decreased predation risk. Thus, the consequence of holding space on worm tube heads is a greatly increased probability of survival.     

Study of a Crustacea Decapoda Taxocoenosis of Posidonia oceanica Beds from the Southeast of Spain

Abstract. During 1986 and 1987 a decapod crustacean taxocoenosis of Posidonia oceanica beds from the southeast of Spain has been studied.
Data on abundance-dominance of the 50 species found and other information such as reproduction and the selective use of gastropod shells by the dominant hermit crabs arc given.
Differences in richness and cquitability between shallow (3–4 m) and deeper (5–7 m) samples arc also shown.
The taxocoenosis presents a geometrical distribution in which only 9 species have a relative abundance higher than 1 % and in which the structure is basically controlled by the two dominant hermit crabs, Cestopagitius limidus and Calcium tubularis , and hydrodynamic conditions.     

Effects of habitat complexity on cannibalism rates in European green crabs (Carcinus maenas Linnaeus, 1758)

The habitat in which predator–prey interactions take place may have a profound influence on the outcome of those interactions. Cannibalism is an intriguing form of predation whereby foraging by predators may contribute to the regulation of their own populations.This is particularly interesting in the case of invasive species, like the widely distributed European green crab (Carcinus maenas). This study explores how habitat complexity influences cannibalism rates in green crab populations of Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Canada. Both laboratory and field experiments were conducted to measure feeding rates by individual adult green crabs on a standard number of smaller conspecifics. In the laboratory, experimental treatments mimicked unstructured to increasingly structured habitats: water, sandy bottom, oyster shells, mussel shells, oyster shells with sandy bottom and mussel shells with sandy bottom. In those trials, adult green crabs consumed several times more juveniles on unstructured habitats than on the most structured ones, with a gradual decrease in predation rates across increasingly complex habitats. Field inclusion experiments used the same approach and were conducted in sandy bottoms, sandy bottoms with a layer of oyster shells and sandy bottoms with a layer of mussel shells. These trials showed similar patterns of decreasing feeding rates across increasingly complex habitats, but differences among treatments were not significant. These results support the idea that complex habitats have the potential to mediate predator–prey interactions, including adult–juvenile cannibalism in green crabs.     

Descriptions of two New Zealand sea anemones (Actiniaria: Hormathiidae)

The sea anemones Calliactis conchicola Parry, 1952 and Paracalliactis rosea n.sp. are described. This is the first report of the hormathiid genus Paracalliactis for New Zealand. Calliactis conchicola occurs with living gastropods, hermit crabs, and a true crab, and Paracalliactis rosea occurs with hermit crabs and a true crab. Certain characteristics of each of the two anemones suggest that the genera Calliactis and Paracalliactis may not be as discrete as was indicated by earlier reports.     

Foraging across ecosystems: diet diversity and social foraging spanning aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems by an invertebrate

Ecosystems are fundamentally connected to one another, although empirical documentation of the links between them, especially the links between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, has been limited. This study examined the foraging behavior and ecology of an understudied invertebrate, the hermit crab Coenobita compressus, which is remarkably abundant at the nexus of marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems. Data collected between 2008 and 2011 in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica revealed that C. compressus plays a generalist scavenger role across ecosystems. Beach almond fruits (Terminalia catappa) were a staple of the crabs’ diet, but the crabs also commonly consumed a variety of other fruit species and various parts of plants (nuts, seeds, flowers, husk, stems, buds) as well as algae, fungus, animal feces, and the carcasses of insects, jellyfish, conspecifics, other crustacean species, freshwater and saltwater fish, sea turtles (eggs and adults), and mammals. The crabs fed on these resources in prominent social aggregations, also forming such aggregations as they exchanged the aquatically derived gastropod shells that they use as homes while roaming the land. The size of the crabs’ aggregations around plant versus animal resources and around terrestrial versus aquatic resources did not differ, underscoring the species’ generalist foraging behavior. Broadly, these results suggest that C. compressus has one of the most diverse diets of any crustacean and plays a critical role in recycling organic matter and nutrients. This species might also mediate the passage of resources across different ecosystems, although further research is needed to explore this possibility.     

Competition may mediate recovery from damage in an encrusting bryozoan

Disturbance is a ubiquitous feature of ecosystems, and the ability of a species to persist in a habitat with frequent disturbance is largely determined by the ways in which individual organisms respond. In modular species, indeterminate growth by module addition allows recovery from colony damage through disturbance, and the number of modules – colony size – is a good predictor of colony success. A growing body of evidence suggests that the recovery capacity of a modular animal is related not only to its size, an important indicator of likely survivorship and reproductive potential, but also to the age structure of its component modules. We tested whether the age structure of modules altered the recovery capacity of colonies of the encrusting bryozoan Parasmittina delicatula at two sites in South‐eastern Australia that differed in their levels of cover by competing sessile invertebrates. Damage incurred at different colony regions had a negligible effect on the subsequent growth of colonies at both sites, but for different reasons. At one site, where competition from neighbouring sessile invertebrates was low, growth rates were very similar across colonies, regardless of colony size and amount of damage to the colony edge. At the second site, neighbouring sessile invertebrates were abundant, and competitive interactions were more important in determining a colony’s success than any history of damage. Colonies that were overgrown once or more had lower growth rates and lower numbers of embryos at the final census than those that were never overgrown. These results imply that the importance of the age structure of modules to a colony’s recovery rate is reduced in the presence of natural competition, and that these factors need to be considered when predicting the responses of modular animals to disturbance.     

Interpreting odours in hermit crabs: A comparative study

Odours of different sources can indicate to hermit crabs the availability of empty shells, crucial resources for the life cycle of almost all of them. Here, we compared Clibanarius erythropus and Pagurus bernhardus for the intensity of investigative behaviour exhibited towards an empty, well-fitting shell in the presence of (1) plain seawater as control and seawater conditioned by (2) dead and live snails, (3) dead and live conspecifics, (4) live predators, and (5) food. During 10 min of observation, we recorded latency (the time until the first contact with the shell), and the number and duration of shell investigation bouts. The two species behaved similarly when exposed to the odours of food, live snails, and predators, while a more intense shell investigation was induced by dead snail odour in C. erythropus and by dead or live conspecific odour in P. bernhardus. Further studies should investigate the influence of phylogeny and ecology on this interspecific difference.     

On the Polyps of the Common Jellyfish Aurelia aurita in Kagoshima Bay

There is the natural habitat of polyps of the common jellyfish Aurelia aurita in the Taniyama area, Kagoshima Bay. We examined the attachment substrata, density, colony structure and strobilation of the polyps. The polyps were observed only on the horizontal undersurface of floating piers. They attached specifically to Mytilus shells, solitary ascidians, calcareous polychaete tubes, muddy amphipod tubes and the gap space that fouling animals peeled off the substrata. The polyp colonies were distributed in patches. Spatial distribution patterns of the polyps within their colonies were uniform. Strobilation occurred during late December to March, when water temperatures were 16–17°C, and a large number of ephyrae were released. An increase in man-made structures such as floating piers in coastal areas may lead to bloomings of Aurelia aurita medusae. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

晋江河口及泉州湾湿地生物分布特点

泉州湾受晋江河口径流影响很大，导致湿地生物的水平分布与盐度的分布紧密相关．大致分为湾外和外湾种、内湾低盐种、感潮河段咸淡水种．长腕和尚蟹、扁平蛛网海胆和文昌鱼仅分布在外湾或湾外的砂质海底．3种红树植物、互花米草、招潮蟹、弹涂鱼是内湾泥滩的优势种．咸水草是感潮河段咸淡水指标种．河蚬虽是淡水种，也分布在低盐河段．     

Phylogeny and phylogeography of the land hermit crab Coenobita purpureus (Decapoda: Anomura: Coenobitidae) in the Northwestern Pacific Region

Hermit crabs of the family Coenobitidae comprise the land hermit crabs, with 16 Coenobita species, and the coconut crab Birgus latro. They are terrestrial but spend their marine life as planktonic larvae. Some coenobitid crabs are widely distributed in the Indo‐West Pacific region, and some species occupy narrower ranges. To improve our knowledge of coenobitid crab speciation and geographical distribution patterns, we examined the phylogenetic relationship between Coenobita purpureus, which has a narrow distribution in the Northwestern Pacific, and its more widely distributed coenobitids including B. latro, Coenobita brevimanus, Coenobita cavipes, Coenobita perlatus, Coenobita rugosus and Coenobita violascens based on the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rDNA genes. We also assessed the phylogeography of Co. purpureus populations based on the COI gene. Our phylogenetic and phylogeographical analyses revealed that (i) Co. purpureus clustered with Co. rugosus and (ii) the Co. purpureus population in the Ogasawara Islands was genetically distinct from those in other regions, which showed genetic panmixia. It has been hypothesized that Co. purpureus evolved in the isolated landmasses of the Ryukyu region during the Pliocene, and that its population expanded and colonized the Ogasawara Islands in the late Pleistocene. Further phylogeographical studies on Coenobita species with relatively narrow distributions coupled with characterization of their phylogenetic relationships with widely distributed congeners will advance our knowledge of the speciation and geographical distribution history of coenobitid crabs.     

厦门海域蟹类资源的变化

本研究依据2006—2007年与2016—2017年各个季节在厦门海域采样获得的蟹类样品数据,对比分析了其种类组成、资源密度及其多样性指数。结果表明：厦门海域蟹类的种类组成有较大变化,种类更替率为55.32%,伴随着在两次调查中扇蟹科、方蟹科和关公蟹科等物种的新出现及梭子蟹科和长脚蟹科物种的消失,同时蟹类丰度(d)有所减少;均匀度(J)、种类多样性指数(H′)和资源密度变化较小;蟹类的群落结构变得更单一,容易遭到破坏;研究期间拟穴青蟹(Scylla paramamosain)资源出现一定程度的恢复,蟹类资源的平均个体质量有所增加,其中秋季蟹类个数密度增长较为明显。本研究建议在保证严格禁渔等管理的同时,加强对其海洋栖息地的管理和恢复。     

Sex‐related differences in size,function and regeneration of the major cheliped in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi

Pagurus hermit crabs have a well‐developed right cheliped (major cheliped) and in some species the major cheliped of males is longer than that of females. This paper describes sex‐related differences in major cheliped length and regeneration pattern of the major cheliped in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi. We also examined the function of the major cheliped in male–male competition. Major cheliped length of males was longer than that of females in P. filholi. Males regenerated larger chelipeds than females at the first molt after experimentally induced autotomy. Body size growth in males of the regeneration group was less than that in intact males of the control group while there was no significant difference in body size growth of females between regeneration and control groups. Major cheliped length was included in the best model to explain the outcome of male–male competition and thus sexual selection appears to be a causative factor in the sex‐related difference of the major cheliped length. Sex‐related differences in the regeneration pattern may reflect differences in evolutionary pressures on males for large major chelipeds and females for large body size.     

Distribution of amphipods Ischyrocerus on the red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus: Possible interactions with the host in the Barents Sea

The determination of costs and benefits experienced by crustaceans as a result of occupation by their symbionts has received increased attention from marine ecologists. However, the interactions between some important species and their associates remain unclear. We examined the distribution of amphipods in the genus Ischyrocerus on the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus, a commercially important species, in two areas of the Barents Sea. Ischyrocerus commensalis was found on 30.5% of crabs in Dalnezelenetskaya Bay (DZB) with the mean number per crab being 55.1, in Dolgaya Bay (DLB) these rates were 28.6% with 19.3 specimens per crab. Sympatric species Ischyrocerus anguipes was found on 13.5% of crabs in DZB with a mean of 7.3 individuals per host, in DLB it had much lower occurrence (1.3% and 1.5 specimens per host). There were no significant differences between proportions of male and female crabs infested by amphipods in both areas examined. Prevalence of amphipods was similar among years examined except for I. commensalis on small crabs (carapace length CL <90 mm) and I. anguipes on large crabs (CL >90 mm) in DZB. We found that I. commensalis and I. anguipes are not egg predators of P. camtschaticus in the Barents Sea, at least in summer. High numbers of I. commensalis occur in crab gills, and both mean intensity of the amphipods and their empty tubes increased with crab size. In the gills, I. commensalis predominated in the section nearest the mouth parts. Possible negative impacts for the hosts due to gills infestation are discussed. In contrast, I. anguipes were predominately found on the carapace and limbs of crabs and appears to be a less specific symbiont of P. camtschaticus. Both amphipod species seem to be commensals, however possible negative impacts for the host could not be excluded.     

Inter-annual variability of the epibiotic community on Pagurus bernhardus from Scotland

Epibiont communities of Pagurus bernhardus and its inhabiting shell collected in the same month of two consecutive years near the Isle of Cumbrae (Scotland) were analyzed. The epibionts found were: (1) the protozoans Acineta, Conchacineta, Corynophrya, Zoothamnium, Cothurnia mobiusi, Cothurnia longipes, Chilodochona, Cryptacineta, Ephelota gemmipara and Ephelota plana; (2) the hydrozoans Leuckartiara, Clytia and Phialella; (3) the entoproct Barentsia; (4) the cirripeds Balanus balanus and Balanus crenatus; (5) the polychaetes Pomatoceros triqueter, Circeis amoricana paguri and Hydroides norvegica. Among these epibionts, a protozoan (E. plana), two hydrozoans (Leuckartiara, and Phialella), and the entoproct (Barentsia) have not been described previously as epibionts on crustaceans. The protozoan, entoproct and hydrozoan epibiont species found on P. bernhardus represent the first mention of their presence on this hermit crab. The protozoan epibionts were found only on the crab, while the hydrozoan epibionts were observed on the shell and on the crab. The cirriped species were observed only on the external surface of the shell, and the polychaete species were observed on the external and internal surfaces of the shell, although Circeis was found only internally. An analysis of the distribution and density of each epibiont species on the anatomical units of the crab, as well as on the different shell areas were made. The comparison between the data of the two years showed differences with respect to the size of crabs, diversity of epibiont groups and density of epibionts. There was a significant difference between the two years with respect to the distribution of epibionts on the anatomical units of the crab, both in terms of density and biomass. The influence of some environmental parameters on these differences is considered.     

Depth zonation of epibenthos on sublittoral hard substrates off Deer Island,Bay of Fundy,Canada

Three locations were selected for detailed study of the epibenthos of sublittoral hard substrates in the Deer Island region of the Bay of Fundy. A total of 10 transects, using photographic and quadrat methods, yielded data on percentage coverage, density and diversity of biota in relation to depth.A cluster analysis, using the Jaccard Coefficient of Association, produced five major clusters, representing three depth zones. The shallow and mid-depth zones lie within the infralittoral, the deep zone within the circalittoral.The shallow zone extends from mean low water (MLW) to a mean depth of 5 m below MLW and consists of two clusters representing minor biological differences. It is characterized by crustose coralline algae and Petrocelis middendorfii which together cover over 70% of the primary substrate. Other macro-algae are rare, as are bryozoans, while sponges are absent. The sea urchin Stronglyocentrotus droebachiensis, the limpet Acmaea testudinalis and chitons belonging to Tonicella are very common and may exert a significant influence on the community structure in terms of grazing pressure.The mid-depth zone has a mean depth of 10 m and consists of two clusters, one representing well-illuminated upward-facing surfaces, the other representing shaded steeply-inclined cliff faces. The zone is characterized by higher species richness (relative to the shallow zone); greater coverage of sponges, bryozoans and hydroids; lower densities of sea urchins and limpets; and less areal coverage by encrusting algae. The cliff-face cluster is characterized by enrichment of bryozoans, anemones, sponges and brachiopods.The deep zone has a mean depth of 18 m, and is animal-dominated, supporting the greatest species richness, with sponges, hydroids, anemones, brachiopods and tunicates common, but algal coverage much reduced.Organisms colonizing the upward-facing surfaces in the shallow and mid-depth zones are here regarded as belonging to the encrusting algae-urchin community, while biota of the shaded cliff faces of the mid-depth zone, together with the biota of the deep zone, are regarded as belonging to the Terebratulina septentrionalis community of previous authors.