Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T02:20:54.224Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Population biology and reproduction of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Decapoda: Anomura) in an estuarine region of southern Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2009

Bruno Sampaio Sant'Anna ,
Álvaro Luiz Diogo Reigada  and
Marcelo Antonio Amaro Pinheiro
Bruno Sampaio Sant'Anna*
Affiliation:
Research Group in Crustacean Biology (Crusta), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Praça Infante D. Henrique, s/n—Parque Bitarú, CEP 11330-900—São Vicente (São Paulo), Brazil Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus de Rio Claro—Instituto de Biociências—Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia Unimes—Universidade Metropolitana de Santos
Álvaro Luiz Diogo Reigada
Affiliation:
Research Group in Crustacean Biology (Crusta), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Praça Infante D. Henrique, s/n—Parque Bitarú, CEP 11330-900—São Vicente (São Paulo), Brazil Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus de Rio Claro—Instituto de Biociências—Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia
Marcelo Antonio Amaro Pinheiro
Affiliation:
Research Group in Crustacean Biology (Crusta), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Praça Infante D. Henrique, s/n—Parque Bitarú, CEP 11330-900—São Vicente (São Paulo), Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: B.S. Sant'Anna, Research Group in Crustacean Biology (Crusta), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Praça Infante D. Henrique, s/n—Parque Bitarú, CEP 11330-900—São Vicente (São Paulo), Brazil email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The population dynamics and reproduction of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus were evaluated on Pescadores Beach, located on the estuarine channel of São Vicente (São Paulo), Brazil. The hermit crabs were captured by hand during low tide, from May 2001 to April 2003. A total of 2554 hermit crabs were captured, of which 701 were males, 1741 non-ovigerous females, 48 ovigerous females and 64 intersex individuals. The size–frequency distribution of the males was represented by a platykurtic bell-shaped curve, which differed from the leptokurtic bell-shaped curve of the females. The smaller and intermediate classes were composed mainly of females (modal size 6.5–7.5 mm carapace shield length (CSL)), and the larger classes only by males (modal size 9.5–10.5 mm CSL). The overall sex-ratio was skewed toward females (0.39:1/M:F), differing significantly from the expected 1:1. A seasonal reproductive pattern was recorded for C. vittatus in this location, with more intensive reproductive activity in the warmer months. The absence of juveniles suggests that their recruitment area is different than the area inhabited by adults, possibly another area with more protection and specialized or different resources for young.

Keywords

hermit crabClibanarius vittatusreproductionpopulation biology
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 89 , Issue 4 , June 2009 , pp. 761 - 767
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abrams, P.A. (1988) Sexual difference in resource use in hermit crabs: consequences and causes. In Chelazzi, G. and Vannini, M. (eds) Behavioral adaptation to intertidal life. New York, USA: Plenum, pp. 283–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benvenuto, C. and Gherardi, F. (2001) Population structure and shell use in the hermit crab, Clibanarius erythrops: a comparison between Mediterranean and Atlantic shores. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 81, 77–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertini, G. and Fransozo, A. (2000) Population dynamics of Petrochirus diogenes (Crustacea; Anomura, Diogenidae) in the Ubatuba region, São Paulo, Brazil. In Klein von, C. and Schram, F. (eds) The biodiversity crisis and crustaceans. Rotterdam: A.A. Balkema, pp. 331–342.Google Scholar
Bertini, G., Fransozo, A. and Braga, A.A. (2004) Ecological distribution and reproductive period of the crab Loxopagurus loxocheles (Anomura, Diogenidae) on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. Journal of Natural History 38, 2331–2334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branco, J.O., Turra, A. and Souto, F.X. (2002) Population biology and growth of the hermit crab Dardanus insignis at Armação Itapocoroy, southern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 82, 597–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brossi-Garcia, A.L. (1988) Juvenile development of Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) Decapoda Anomura in the laboratory. Crustaceana 54, 294–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fotheringham, N. (1975) Structure of seasonal migrations of the littoral hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 18, 47–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fransozo, A. and Mantelatto, F.L.M. (1998) Population structure and reproductive period of the hermit crab Calcinus tibicen (Decapoda: Diogenidae) in the region of Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology 18, 202–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giese, A.C. (1959) Comparative physiology: annual reproductive cycles of marine invertebrates. Annual Review of Physiology 21, 574–576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hazlett, A.B., Rittschof, D. and Bach, C.E. (2005) The effects of shell size and coil orientation on reproduction in female hermit crabs, Clibanarius vittatus. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 323, 93–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kicher, A.B. (1967) The larval development of Clibanarius vittatus and Hypoconcha in six salinities. Master's thesis. Duke University, Durham, USA.Google Scholar
Litulo, C. (2005a) Population structure and reproduction of the hermit crab Dardanus deformis (Anomura: Diogenidae) in the Indian Ocean. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85, 883–887.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litulo, C. (2005b) Breeding of the hermit crab Dardanus deformis H. Milne-Edwards, 1836 (Anomura, Diogenidae) in Maputo Bay, southern Mozambique. Journal of Natural History 39, 2137–2144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litulo, C. (2005c) Population biology and fecundity of the Indo-Pacific hermit crab Clibanarius longitarsus (Anomura: Diogenidae). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85, 121–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litulo, C. and Tudge, C. (2005) Population structure and breeding season of the hermit crab Diogenes brevirostris Stimpson, 1858 (Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae) from southern Mozambique. Journal of Natural History 39, 2887–2889.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowery, W.A. and Nelson, W.G. (1988) Population ecology of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Decapoda: Diogenidae) at Sebastian Inlet, Florida. Journal of Crustacean Biology 8, 548–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macpherson, E. and Raventos, N. (2004) Population structure and reproduction of three sympatric species of hermit crabs in the north-western Mediterranean. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84, 371–376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. and Garcia-Raso, J.E. (1995) Study of a population of Calcinus tubularis (Crustacea, Diogenidae) from a shallow Posidonia oceanica meadow. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 36, 277–284.Google Scholar
Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. and García-Raso, J.E. (1998) Population structure and growth of the hermit crab Diogenes pugilator (Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae) from the Northeastern Atlantic. Journal of Crustacean Biology 18, 753–762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. and Garcia-Raso, J.E. (2000a) Morphological reproductive aspects of males of Diogenes pugilator (Roux, 1829) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura) from southern Spain. Sarsia 85, 195–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. and Garcia-Raso, J.E. (2000b) Reproductive aspects of males of the hermit crab Diogenes pugilator (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from southern Spain. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 80, 85–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantelatto, F.L.M. and Garcia, R.B. (1999) Reproductive potential of the hermit crab Calcinus tibicen (Anomura) from Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology 19, 268–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantelatto, F.L.M. and Martinelli, M. (2001) Relative growth and sexual dimorphism of the south Atlantic hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Anomura, Diogenidae) from Ubatuba, Brazil. Journal of Natural History 35, 429–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantelatto, F.L.M., Christofoletti, R.A. and Valenti, W.C. (2005) Population structure and growth of the hermit crab Pagurus brevidactylus (Anomura: Paguridae) from the northern cost of São Paulo, Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85, 127–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinelli, J.M., Mantelatto, F.L.M. and Fransozo, A. (2002) Population structure and breeding season of the South Atlantic hermit crab Loxopagarus loxochelis (Anomura, Diogenidae) from the Ubatuba region, Brazil. Crustaceana 75, 791–802.Google Scholar
Melo, G.A.S. (1999) Manual de Identificação dos Crustacea Decapoda do Litoral Brasileiro: Anomura, Thalassinidae, Palinuridae, Astacidae. São Paulo: Editora Plêiade.Google Scholar
Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. and Fransozo, A. (1992) Estrutura populacional e relação com a concha em Paguristes tortugae Schimitt, 1933 (Decapoda, Diogenidae), no litoral norte do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Naturalia 17, 31–42.Google Scholar
Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L., Fransozo, A., Mantelatto, F.L.M., Nakagaki, J.M. and Spilborgls, M.C.F. (1992) Fecundity of Paguristes tortugae Schmitt, 1933 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura) in Ubatuba (SP), Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Biologia 52, 547–553.Google Scholar
Pinheiro, M.A.A. and Fransozo, A. (2002) Reproduction of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Brachyura, Portunidae) on the Brazilian Coast near 23°30′S. Journal of Crustacean Biology 22, 416–428.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reigada, A.L.D. and Santos, S. (1997) Biologia e relação com a concha em Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Crustacea, Diogenidae) em São Vicente, SP, Brasil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 40, 941–952.Google Scholar
Sant'Anna, B.S., Zangrande, C.M., Reigada, A.L.D. and Pinheiro, M.A.A. (2006) Shell utilization pattern of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Crustacea, Anomura), in an estuary at São Vicente, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Iheringia 96, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sant'Anna, B.S., Christofoletti, R.A., Zangrande, C.M. and Reigada, A.L.D. (2008) Growth of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Crustacea, Anomura, Diogenidae) at São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 51, 547–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sastry, A.N. (1983) Ecological aspects of reproduction. In Watermam, T.H. (ed.) The biology of crustacea. VIII environmental adaptations. New York: Academic Press, Inc., pp. 179–270.Google Scholar
Sokal, R.R. and Rohlf, F.J. (1995) Biometry. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.Google Scholar
Squires, H.J., Ennis, G.P. and Dawe, G. (2001) On biology of two sympatric species of hermit crab (Crustacea, Decapoda, Paguridae) at St Chads, Newfoundland. NAFO Science Council Studies 34, 7–17.Google Scholar
Sturges, H.A. (1926) The choice of a class interval. Journal of the American Statistical Association 21, 65–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turra, A. (2004) Intersexuality in hermit crabs: reproductive role and fate of gonopores in intersex individuals. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84, 757–759.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turra, A. and Leite, F.P.P. (1999) Population structure and fecundity of the hermit crab Clibanarius antillensis Stimpson, 1862 (Anomura, Diogenidae) in Southeastern Brazil. Bulletin of Marine Science 64, 281–289.Google Scholar
Turra, A. and Leite, F.P.P. (2000) Population biology and growth of three sympatric species of intertidal hermit crabs in south-eastern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 80, 1061–1069.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turra, A. and Leite, F.P.P. (2001) Shell utilization patterns of a tropical rocky intertidal hermit crab assemblage: I. the case of Grande Beach. Journal of Crustacean Biology 21, 393–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, A.M. and Hazlett, T.L. (1978) The effect of salinity and temperature on the development of Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 34, 131–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wada, S., Kitaoka, H. and Goshima, S. (2000) Reproduction of the hermit crab Pagurus laguginosus and comparison of reproductive traits among sympatric species. Journal of Crustacean Biology 20, 474–478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenner, A.M. (1972) Sex ratio as a function of size in marine crustacea. American Naturalist 106, 321–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar