Abstract
The ability of the hermit crabs Dardanus venosus and Pagurus pollicaris to recognize chemically their symbiotic sea anemone Calliactis tricolor and a common octopus predator, Octopus joubini, were studied. The crabs were tested for chemoreceptive responses using a Y-trough olfactometer, which prevented visual cues from being used. Choice tests showed that D. venosus could chemically detect Calliactis. If, however, D. venosus had a Calliactis on its shell at the time of the trial, it could not detect the test anemone. P. pollicaris (without a symbiotic anemone) did not locate the test anemone. Both species of crab avoided a water current carrying octopus chemical cues. Chemoreception may play an important role in the interaction of a hermit crab with its symbiotic anemone and an octopus predator.
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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Brooks, W.R. (1991). Chemical recognition by hermit crabs of their symbiotic sea anemones and a predatory octopus. In: Williams, R.B., Cornelius, P.F.S., Hughes, R.G., Robson, E.A. (eds) Coelenterate Biology: Recent Research on Cnidaria and Ctenophora. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 66. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3240-4_42
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3240-4_42
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