Abstract
Hyas araneus is the most common brachyuran crab in the coastal Barents Sea. Its epibionts were occasionally examined in 1940–1950s. To obtain modern information about associated organisms living on the crabs and compare new data with previous findings, the species composition, infestation indices, and spatial distribution of macro-epibionts colonizing H. araneus were examined in Dalnezelenetskaya Bay, a small semi-open gulf, in summer 2008–2010. A total of 41 taxa were observed on 48 crabs collected from depths ranging from 5 to 28 m. Red algae Ptilota plumosa (prevalence 39.6%) and Palmaria palmata (37.5%) as well as the copepod Harpacticus uniremis (39.6%) and the tube-dwelling worm Placostegus tridentatus (35.4%) predominated on the crabs. Infestation indices were similar in male and female crabs except for the turbellarian worm Peraclistus oophagus. Comparison with the previous study showed some changes in H. araneus fouling community that may be attributed to the shift of climatic regime or differences in sampling procedures. Presence of the amphipod Ischyrocerus commensalis, a new epibiont of H. araneus in the study area may be associated with introduction of the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus. Infestation indices of common epibionts depend on the crab shell conditions. Localization of epibionts strongly depended on the settlement patterns of larvae and host-associate relationships. Typical fouling organisms were found predominantly on the carapaces or limbs, while the majority of mobile species were recorded on the gills. Colonization of great spider crabs is beneficial for the epibiont species, whereas some negative effects for the basibiont could not be excluded.
References
Berke SK, Miller M, Woodin SA (2006) Modelling the energy-mortality tradeoffs of invertebrate decorating behaviour. Evol Ecol Res 8:1409–1425
Christiansen ME (1969) Crustacea Decapoda Brachyura. Mar Invertebr Scand 2:1–143
Connell JH, Keough MJ (1985) Disturbance and patch dynamics of subtidal marine animals on hard substrata. In: Pickett STA, White PS (eds) The ecology of natural disturbance and patch dynamics. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 125–151
Dick MH, Donaldson WE, Vining IW (1998) Epibionts of the tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi in the region of Kodiak Island, Alaska. J Crustacean Biol 18:519–528
Dvoretsky AG, Dvoretsky VG (2008) Epifauna associated with the northern stone crab Lithodes maia in the Barents Sea. Polar Biol 31:1149–1152
Dvoretsky AG, Dvoretsky VG (2009) Fouling community of the red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius 1815), in a subarctic fjord of the Barents Sea. Polar Biol 32:1047–1054
Dvoretsky AG, Dvoretsky VG (2010) Epifauna associated with an introduced crab in the Barents Sea: a 5-year study. ICES J Mar Sci 67:204–214
Fernandez-Leborans G (2010) Epibiosis in Crustacea: an overview. Crustaceana 83:549–640
Firstater FN, Hidalgo FG, Lomovasky BG, Gallegos P, Amero P, Iribarne OO (2009) Effects of epibiotic Enteromorpha spp. on the mole crab Emerita analoga in the Peruvian central coast. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 89:363–370
Frolova EA, Lyubina OS, Dikaeva DR, Akhmetchina OYU, Frolov AA (2007) Effect of climatic changes on the zoobenthos of the Barents Sea (on the example of several abundant species). Dokl Biol Sci 416:349–351
Gannon AT, Wheatly MG (1992) Physiological effects of an ectocommensal gill barnacle, Octolasmis mülleri, on gas exchange in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. J Crustacean Biol 12:11–18
Gili JM, Abello P, Villanueva R (1993) Epibionts and intermoult duration in the crab Bathynectes pipentus. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 98:107–113
Jadamec LS, Donaldson WE, Cullenberg P (1999) Biological field techniques for Chionoecetes crabs. Alaska Sea Grant College Program, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Kuris AM, Blau SF, Paul AJ, Shields JD, Wickham DE (1991) Infestation by brood symbionts and their impact on egg mortality of the red king crab, (Paralithodes camtschatica) in Alaska. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 48:559–568
Kuzmin SA, Gudimova EN (2002) Introduction of the Kamchatka (Red king) crab in the Barents Sea. Pecularities of biology, perspectives of fishery (in Russian). KSC RAS, Apatity
Kuznetsov VV (1964) The biology of abundant and the most common species of crustaceans in the Barents and White Seas (in Russian). Nauka, Moscow
Mantelatto FL, O’Brien JJ, Biagi R (2003) Parasites and symbionts of crabs from Ubatuba Bay, São Paulo State, Brazil. Comp Parasitol 70:211–214
Matishov GG, Matishov DG, Moiseev DV (2009) Inflow of Atlantic-origin waters to the Barents Sea along glacial troughs. Oceanologia 51:321–340
McDermott JJ (2007) Ectosymbionts of the non-indigenous Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Decapoda: Varunidae), in the western north Atlantic, and a search for its parasites. J Nat Hist 41:2379–2396
McGaw IJ (2006) Epibionts of sympatric species of Cancer crabs in Barkley sound, British Columbia. J Crustacean Biol 26:85–93
McLaughlin PA, Camp DK, Angel MV, Bousfield EL, Brunel P, Brusca RC, Cadien D, Cohen AC, Conlan K, Eldredge LG, Felder DL, Goy JW, Haney T (2005) Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Crustaceans. Am Fish Soc Spec Publ No. 31
Sokolov VI (2003a) Decapod Crustaceans of the Barents Sea (in Russian with English abstract). Tr VNIRO 142:25–76
Sokolov VI (2003b) On the biology and distribution of common Decapoda in the Teriberskaja guba, the Barents Sea (in Russian with English abstract). Tr VNIRO 142:77–91
Squires JA (1990) Decapoda Crustacea of the Atlantic coast of Canada. Can Bull Fish Aquat Sci 221:1–532
Stephensen K (1939) Crustacea Decapoda. Zool Icel 3:1–25
Udekem d’Acoz C (1999) Inventaire et distribution des crustacis ducapodes de l’Atlantique nord-oriental, de la Midditerranie et des eaux continentales adjacentes au nord de 25°N. Patrimoines Naturales (M.N.H.N./S.P.N.) 40:1–383
Uspenskaya AV (1963) Parasitic fauna of the benthic crustaceans in the Barents Sea (in Russian). AN SSSR Press, Moscow
Vader W (1996) Amphipoda as associates of other Crustacea. In: Book of abstracts of second European Crustacean conference. University press, Liege, p 67
Wahl M (1989) Marine epibiosis. I. Fouling and antifouling: some basic aspects. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 58:175–189
Wicksten MK (1993) A review and a model of decorator behavior in spider crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura, Majidae). Crustaceana 64:314–325
Williams GB (1964) The effects of extracts of Fucus serratus in promoting settlement on Spirorbis spirorbis (Polychaeta). J Mar Biol Assoc UK 44:397–414
Williams JD, McDermott JJ (2004) Hermit crab biocoenoses: a worldwide review of the diversity and natural history of hermit crab associates. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 305:1–128
Zar JH (1984) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice-Hall International, New Jersey
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Prof. P. R. Makarevich for help in organization of research logistics. I am grateful to E. A. Frolova, N. N. Panteleeva, and A. A. Metelsky who helped in the identification of polychaete, hydrozoan, bryozoan, and algae species. My special thanks are due to Dr. C. Kappel for the English corrections and valuable remarks she made to improve the manuscript. Three anonymous reviewers provided valuable suggestions on the earlier manuscript. This work was supported by the Russian President grant (MK-226.2011.4).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dvoretsky, A.G. Epibionts of the great spider crab, Hyas araneus (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Barents Sea. Polar Biol 35, 625–631 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1087-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1087-x