Brachyuran crab (Crustacea, Decapoda) assemblage associated with Sargassum cymosum in southeastern Brazil

Barros-Alves, Samara de Paiva; Alves, Douglas Fernandes Rodrigues; Cobo, Valter José

doi:10.1007/s12526-017-0730-3

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Since the abundance of crabs could be influenced by the frond size regardless of the seaweed species (Leite et al, 2007;Barros-Alves et al, 2018), we added seaweed volume as a co-factor in our analysis. The density of crabs (d) was calculated as the total number of E. brasiliensis individuals divided by the total seaweed volume (in L); it was expressed as individuals/L.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Samples were collected during low tide in April 2013. Previous studies demonstrated that crab density and seaweed volume may vary throughout the year (Masunari et al, 1998;Barros-Alves et al, 2013;2018). Thus, we standardized the collection of crabs and target seaweed species in the same month to avoid the interference of seasonal factors in our model.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The spider crab Epialtus brasiliensis Dana, 1852 is a phytal organism that inhabits the intertidal zone up to a depth of 10 m. They are frequently found associated with seaweed on hard substrates (Negreiros-Fransozo and Fransozo, 1991;Mantelatto and Correa, 1996;Melo, 1996;Barros-Alves et al, 2018). This spider crab has a sharp dactyl curved inward on each pereiopod, which provides better grip onto the seaweed and prevents dislodgement by the force of water (Castaño and Campo, 2003).…”

Section: Epialtus Brasiliensis Associated With Seaweedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reports have shown that these spider crabs are preyed upon by rocky shore fish, such as Stephanolepis hispidus Linnaeus, 1766 (Dubiaski-Silva andMasunari, 2008) and octopus Octopus insularis Haimovici, 2008 (Batista andLeite et al, 2016). Furthermore, E. brasiliensis may constitute the majority of the benthic epifauna in seaweed communities (Barros-Alves et al, 2018).…”

Section: Epialtus Brasiliensis Associated With Seaweedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The species has been mostly reported to be associated with Sargassum spp. communities (see Negreiros-Fransozo and Fransozo, 1991;Mantelatto and Correa, 1996;Széchy and De Paula, 2000;Cobo and Barros, 2009;Barros-Alves et al, 2013;Barros-Alves et al, 2018). In habitats constituted by Sargassum cymosum Agardh, 1820, E. brasiliensis may reach densities of 1.27 to 34.67 individuals per liter (Barros-Alves et al, 2013).…”

Section: Epialtus Brasiliensis Associated With Seaweedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association of Epialtus brasiliensis Dana, 1852 (Brachyura, Majoidea) with different species of seaweed

2020

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Seaweed aggregates form secondary substrates on rocky shores, providing habitats for phytal organisms such as the spider crab Epialtus brasiliensis Dana, 1852. This species is one of the most abundant macroinvertebrate component from seaweed communities. Although the literature suggests that E. brasiliensis lives in many species of seaweed, their density has only been reported in communities of Sargassum spp. This study assessed the density of the spider crab E. brasiliensis associated with the seaweed Sargassum cymosum Agardh, 1820, Hypnea musciformis (Wulfen) Lamouroux and Acanthophora spicifera (Vahl) Borgesen. We expected to observe a higher density of E. brasiliensis in S. cymosum, which shows greater morphological complexity, followed by H. musciformis, with intermediate complexity, and then by A. spicifera, with low complexity. We found that the density of these crabs can be as abundant in H. musciformis as has been previously reported for S. cymosum, but in both species, the density was higher than in A. spicifera. Overall, our findings improve the knowledge of the phytal habitats used by E. brasiliensis in rocky shore environments.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Epialtus Brasiliensis Associated With Seaweedmentioning

confidence: 99%