Shell choice in Pagurus longicarpus hermit crabs: does predation threat influence shell selection behavior?
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Hermit crab
Anomura
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Several prey species use refuges to avoid predation. Prey need to abandon and shift between refuges. However, during such shifting, prey can be vulnerable to predators. We hypothesize that predator presence may induce prey to make mistakes in choosing their refuge. We tested this by inducing the hermit crab Calcinus californiensis Bouvier, 1898 to shift to a new empty gastropod shell (three different species: Columbella Lamarck, 1799, Nerita scabricosta Lamarck, 1822, and Stramonita biserialis (Blainville, 1832)) in the absence and presence of Eriphia squamata Stimpson, 1860, which is an efficient shell-crushing natural crab predator. We expected that when a predator was present, hermit crabs would (i) inspect fewer shells and (or) (ii) change to a shell that is either too heavy to allow escape or unfit in size to accommodate the hermit crab. Although the first prediction was met, the second prediction was supported only when S. biserialis shells were used. Thus, in the presence of a predator, hermit crabs prioritize escaping by selecting lighter shells, which would allow the crab to move faster. We conclude that predator presence may induce prey to make mistakes in refuge selection, suggesting that this has severe consequences in future predatory events.
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A series of over 6 000 research-trawl samples collected along the west and south coasts of South Africa between 1987 and 2014 were analysed for the presence and biomass of two parapagurid hermit crabs, Sympagurus dimorphus and Parapagurus bouvieri. The percentage of trawls that landed S. dimorphus and P. bouvieri and the mean caught biomass were higher on the west than on the south coast for both the more-abundant S. dimorphus (30.59 vs 5.81% success and 287.88 vs 31.37 kg km–2, respectively) and for the less-abundant P. bouvieri (13.76 vs 3.58% success and 38.56 vs 16.32 kg km–2, respectively). Very few parapagurids were caught shallower than 150 m; thereafter, the proportion of trawls containing hermit crabs increased, peaking over the depth range 201–250 m for S. dimorphus (54%) and 401–450 m for P. bouvieri (51%), and declining steadily thereafter. On the west coast, the relative caught biomass of S. dimorphus increased significantly from north to south, but there was no apparent latitudinal trend in relative biomass for P. bouvieri. Similarly, there was a significant decline in caught biomass of S. dimorphus with increasing longitude along the south coast, but no apparent trend for P. bouvieri. Although this represents by far the most comprehensive global analyses of distribution and abundance patterns for parapagurids to date, extremely little remains known about the biology and ecological relationships of these species, or indeed of other members of the group.
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Two pagurid hermit crabs of the genus Pagurus, P. proximus Komai, 2000 and P. simulans Komai, 2000, were collected from the East Sea of Korea are reported. Brief descriptions and illustrations of these two species are provided. Both have been confounded with P. brachiomastus (Thallwitz, 1891) until recently Komai (2000a) reviewed the taxonomic status of this species complex. Kim's (1973) record of P. brachiomastus from Korea was synonymized to P. proximus by Komai (2000a) and the latter in Korean waters is confirmed through this study. P. simulans is recorded for the first time from Korea as well as the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
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A new species of the pagurid hermit crab genus Catapagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, C. insolitus, is described and illustrated based on specimens from shallow waters in Okinawa Island, the Ryukyus. It belongs to an informal species group characterized by the possession of blade-shaped ambulatory dactyli, and is morphologically most similar to C. kosugei (Asakura, 2001). However, the new species is unique within the genus in having a multispinose antennal acicle, rarely seen in species of the family Paguridae.
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