Spatial distribution and shell utilization in three sympatric hermit crabs at non-consolidated sublittoral of estuarine-bay complex in São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Spatial distribution and shell utilization in three sympatric hermit crabs at non-consolidated sublittoral of estuarine-bay complex in São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil Abstract.-The objective of the present study was to characterize the spatial distribution and shell utilization of three hermit crab species in the estuarine-bay complex of São Vicente, São Paulo State, Brazil. Monthly samples were done throughout two years, in the non-consolidated sub-littoral at the estuarine-bay complex. The environmental factors, such as temperature, salinity and depth, were measured every month. The three hermit crab species, Clibanarius vittatus, Loxopagurus loxochelis and Isocheles sawayai, were captured utilizing shells from six gastropods species; 92.7% of the hermit crabs utilized Stramonita haemastoma. The results suggest a strong correlation between hermit crabs spatial distribution and salinity, which was considered the main environmental factor limiting their distribution in the estuary. I. sawayai was the only species present in all transects sampled; C. vittatus was captured only in regions with low salinity and L. loxochelis occurred only in high salinity waters.

Ultrastructure of spermatozoa of spider crabs, family Mithracidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura): Integrative analyses based on morphological and molecular data

“…It is known that the Amazon River can act as a physical barrier to many marine species, especially against larval phases in which survival is critical. Low salinity in the river drainage could be a limiting abiotic factor for some larval and adult species of the family Mithracidae, just as salinity is limiting factor for some species of hermit crabs (Sant'Anna, Zangrande, Reigada, & Severino‐Rodrigues, ). This could explain the observed variability between the specimens of Brazil (Brazilian Province) and Venezuela and/or Belize (Caribbean Province).…”

Gastropod shell utilisation pattern by the hermit crabClibanarius symmetricus(Anomura: Diogenidae) in an Equatorial Amazon estuary

“…Of the studies previously carried out in the Brazilian subtropical region, Negreiros- Fransozo et al (1991) found that 100% of the hermit crabs C. symmetricus (vittatus) occupied shells of the genus Thaisella (Thais). In other studies, the gastropod shell species most frequently used by C. symmetricus in a natural environment was Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1767) (Reigada and Santos 1997;Sant'Anna et al 2006aMantelatto et al 2010;Sampaio and Masunari 2010). The preference for S. haemastoma was reported in laboratory experiments by Turra and Leite (2002).…”

“…Shell occupancy does not occur randomly, but is rather influenced by several factors, such as shell availability in nature, weight, size, shape and/or internal shell volume, suitability of shell size and shape, or even intra-and interspecific competition among hermit crabs (Martinelli and Mantelatto 1999;Mantelatto and Garcia 2000;Garcia and Mantelatto 2001;Meireles et al 2003;Dominciano and Mantelatto 2004;Mantelatto and Meireles 2004;Meireles and Mantelatto 2005;Biagi et al 2006b;Sant'Anna et al 2006a;Fransozo et al 2008). The presence of epibionts on shells is also a factor that may provide camouflage in combination with the substrate and influence the shell selection by hermit crabs (Martinelli and Mantelatto 1998; Ayres-Peres and Mantelatto 2010; Ribeiro et al 2015).…”

“…Considering how extensive the Brazilian coastal area is, studies developed with the purpose of defining gastropod shell utilisation patterns by hermit crab C. symmetricus are still scarce. Studies on this topic observed that shell availability was a determining factor in occupancy (Negreiros-Fransozo et al 1991); determined that occupancy will depend mainly on hermit size and shell architecture (Turra andLeite 2002, 2004); and showed that occupancy varies with occurrence site, shell availability, and shell features, such as length and weight (Sant'Anna et al 2006a; with occupancy patterns varying between sex groups and occurrence areas (Mantelatto et al 2010); and with occupancy patterns mainly influenced by shell architecture (Sampaio and Masunari 2010). On the other hand, these studies were restricted to subtropical areas of the Brazilian coast, and nothing has been reported about the shell occupancy pattern of this species on the equatorial Amazon coast.…”

Ecological distribution of the hermit crab Dardanus insignis in shallow waters of the tropical-subtropical transition zone on the Brazilian coast

“…Located along the northern coastline of the state of São Paulo, the Ubatuba region is an important area for crustacean research . The spatial and temporal distribution of a species results from aspects of the animal's biology such as the feeding mode, behavior and local characteristics ( NegreirosFransozo et al 1997;Sant'Anna et al 2006).…”