Allometric relationships and sexual dimorphism in three ubiquitous hermit crab species (Anomura, Diogenidae) from a tropical mangrove estuary

Crustaceana ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 88 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 1127-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Teoh ◽  
V. C. Chong
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Resource Partitioning ◽  
Allometric Relationships ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Positive Allometry ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Mangrove Estuary ◽  
Interspecific Variations ◽  
Shield Length

Shield length-weight relationship (LWR) and relative growth were studied in three tropical hermit crab species, Diogenes moosai Rahayu & Forest, 1995, Diogenes lopochir Morgan, 1989, and Clibanarius infraspinatus (Hilgendorf, 1869). Overall, the length exponent (b) for LWR ranged between 2.67 to 3.28 with males of both Diogenes species showing positive allometry () and females showing negative allometry (), whereas that of both sexes of C. infraspinatus showed negative allometry. Males had larger b values than females in all species, indicating that males are heavier than females of equal shield length. In all species, relative growth of cheliped and chela exhibited positive allometry () with distinct sexual dimorphism whereby males bear longer chelipeds and chelae compared to females of equal shield lengths. Intra- and interspecific variations in growth of body and cheliped among the three sympatric hermit crab species allow for the resource partitioning of their vital shell resources.

Niche overlap and resource partitioning between two intertidal hermit crab species

2017 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermina Alcaraz ◽  
Karla Kruesi
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Resource Partitioning ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Limited Resource ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Gastropod Shell ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Coexisting Species

The gastropod shell influences important aspects of the hermit crab's life; however, the shells are commonly a limited resource. Therefore, different hermit crab species that coexist in intertidal areas are commonly involved in intraspecific and interspecific competition for shells. We assess if differences in shell preference, exploitation ability, or competition by interference can explain the partitioning of shells between the coexisting species Calcinus californiensis and Clibanarius albidigitus. Clibanarius preferred shells of Nerita funiculata among the six gastropod shells tested, while Calcinus did not establish a hierarchy in shell preference. Therefore, the preference for gastropod shell species does not seem to diminish the competition for shells in the wild. Clibanarius identified and attended to chemical cues signalling potential sites of available shells (chemical cues of dead gastropods); Calcinus did not respond to these cues (competition by exploitation). However, Calcinus was more successful in obtaining a new shell by interspecific shell fighting than Clibanarius. Consequently, the use of better quality shells (intact shells) by Calcinus in the wild can be explained by its greater fighting ability compared with Clibanarius. The bias in shell distributions through dominance by shell fighting, more than by exploitation ability, has also been suggested for other hermit crab species of these genera.

scholarly journals Shell resource partitioning among three intertidal hermit crab species

2016 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31
Author(s):  
Kogiku MORI ◽  
Tomoya MIURA ◽  
Tatsuya FUKUDA ◽  
Osamu MIURA
Keyword(s):  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Resource Partitioning ◽  
Crab Species

scholarly journals Crescimento alométrico de Callichirus major (Say 1818) (Crustacea: Callianassidae) em uma praia arenosa do nordeste brasileiro.

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio De Almeida ALVES JÚNIOR ◽  
Marina De Sá Leitão Câmara De ARAÚJO ◽  
Fernando Antônio do Nascimento FEITOSA
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
The Body ◽  
Positive Allometry ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Suction Pump ◽  
Territory Defense ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Main Representative

The burrowing crustaceans of the Infraorder Axiidea have as main representative Callichirus major (Say, 1818), known as ghost shrimp. The aim of this paper was to analyze the relative growth of C. major at Piedade beach, Pernambuco. The samplings were accomplished from December 2010 to November 2011. The ghost shrimps were sampled with a suction pump, sacrificed with alcohol and identified at the laboratory. A total of 389 individuals of C. major were sampled. The sexual dimorphism was evidenced, with males attaining larger sizes. Considering the carapace length as the independent variable, the growth of the total length was isometric for both sexes, while the chelipods showed positive allometry for both sexes, but with higher growth rate in males. While females direct their energy for the production and incubation of eggs, males invest in the growth of the body and chelipods, the last ones being important in territory defense and in reproduction. The growth of the telson was allometrically negative. The population of C. major at Piedade beach showed biometry very similar to other communities of the same family, but some variations were observed, due to intra and interspecific and biogeographic relations. . Key words: Axiidea, biometry, burrowing organisms, Piedade beach.

Shell utilization patterns of a tropical intertidal hermit crab assemblage

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Turra ◽  
Fosca P.P. Leite
Keyword(s):  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Hermit Crabs ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Stramonita Haemastoma ◽  
Utilization Patterns ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Shield Length

The shell selection and utilization patterns of three sympatric hermit crab populations (Clibanarius antillensis, C. sclopetarius, and C. vittatus) and shell availability were studied in a tropical intertidal low energy area. Shell availability (except for C. antillensis) was low and the hermit crabs showed overlap in size (mainly C. sclopetarius and C. vittatus). The influence of shell availability and selection on shell use was dependent on crab species. Clibanarius antillensis used mainly shells of Cerithium atratum, the most available shell species, while Clibanarius sclopetarius and C. vittatus occupied shells with lower availability in the studied area such as Chicoreus senegalensis, Stramonita haemastoma, Leucozonia nassa and Cymatium parthenopeum. The three species selected different gastropod shells with only Clibanarius antillensis using almost exclusively its preferred shell species in nature. The relationship between shield length and the weight of the used shell was not dependent on crab species or shell species, indicating that the size (not species) of the shells defines what size (not species) of crabs will occupy them.

Resource partitioning and competition for shells in a subtidal hermit crab species assemblage

Oecologia ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Abrams ◽  
Carl Nyblade ◽  
Sallie Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Resource Partitioning ◽  
Species Assemblage ◽  
Crab Species

Metopelloides paguri sp. nov., a new species of symbiotic stenothoid amphipod (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Stenothoidae) associated with sublittoral hermit crabs from the Russian coasts of the Sea of Japan

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3244 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
IVAN MARIN ◽  
SERGEY SINELNIKOV
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Sea Of Japan ◽  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Hermit Crabs ◽  
The Sea Of Japan ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Body Coloration ◽  
The Family ◽  
Mandibular Palp ◽  
A New Species

A new species of amphipod from the genus Metopelloides Gurjanova, 1938 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Stenothoidae) asso-ciated with two species of sublittoral hermit crab species, Pagurus pectinatus (Stimpson, 1858) and Elassochirus cavi-manus (Miers, 1879) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguridae), is described from the Russian coasts of the Sea of Japan. The newspecies clearly differs from the congeners by the combination of morphological features such as telson without lateralspines, an elongated mandibular palp with single apical setae, the structures of distoventral palmar margins of subchelaon gnathopods I and II in females, bright white-red body coloration. Thus, the record of Metopelloides paguri sp. nov.represents the second record of the family Stenothoidae in the association with sublittoral hermit crabs from the Sea of Japan.

RELATIVE GROWTH OF THE DOMINANT HERMIT CRABS (DECAPODA, ANOMURA) OF DETRITIC BOTTOMS FROM SOUTHERN SPAIN

Crustaceana ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 507-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
J. E. Garcia Raso
Keyword(s):  
Consistent Pattern ◽  
Southern Spain ◽  
Hermit Crabs ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Shield Length

AbstractThe relative growth of the dominant hermit crabs (Decapoda, Anomura), i.e., Diogenes pugilator, Anapagurus alboranensis, A. hyndmanni, Pagurus forbesii, and Paguristes eremita, of littoral detritic bottoms (15-24 m deep) from southern Spain (Barbate Bay, near the Straits of Gibraltar) has been studied. Both the increase in cheliped length and in carapace shield length of these species do not show discontinuities during development. Males of Anapagurus alboranensis, Pagurus forbesii, and Diogenes pugilator have isometric growth of cheliped length, but males of Paguristes eremita and Anapagurus hyndmanni present a positively allometric relative growth. Among the females, only Anapagurus hyndmanni shows a clearly negative allometry. The results indicate that increase in cheliped length tends to be isometric relative to cheliped width, at least in the majority of the species at issue here. However, this relationship is negative in the case of both sexes of Diogenes pugilator, just as well as in the male Anapagurus hyndmanni. The present data on relative growth are discussed in relation to earlier studies, especially so those on Diogenes pugilator, which are compared in some detail. In all, the results indicate that there exists no consistent pattern of relative growth of the cheliped within families or genera of hermit crabs. Etude de la croissance relative des pagurides (Decapoda, Anomura) dominants sur les fonds detritiques littoraux (profondeur 15-24 metres) du sud de l'Espagne (Baie de Barbate, pres du detroit de Gibraltar). Il s'agit de Diogenes pugilator, Anapagurus alboranensis, A. hyndmanni, Pagurus forbesii, et Paguristes eremita. Chez ces especes, la croissance de la longueur du chelipede et de celle de l'ecusson ne montre pas de discontinuites pendant le developpement. Les males de Diogenes pugilator, Anapagurus alboranensis et Pagurus forbesii ont une croissance isometrique du chelipede, mais ceux d'Anapagurus hyndmanni et de Paguristes eremita presentent une allometrie relative positive. Chez les femelles, seul Anapagurus hyndmanni montre une allometrie nettement negative. Les resultats indiquent que la longueur du chelipede tend a etre isometrique par rapport a sa largeur, au moins chez la majorite des especes en question. Cependant la relation est negative dans les deux sexes chez Diogenes pugilator, comme chez le male d'Anapagurus hyndmanni. Les presentes donnees sont discutees en relation avec les etudes precedentes, en particulier avec celles sur Diogenes pugilator, qui font l'objet d'une comparaison quelque peu detaillee. Dans l'ensemble, les resultats indiquent qu'il n'existe pas de modele uniforme de croissance relative du chelipede dans les familles ou genres de pagurides.

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