Affiliation:
1. Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (MMBI RAS), 183038 Murmansk, Russia
Abstract
Sarsia tubulosa (M. Sars, 1835), a colonial hydrozoan of the family Corynidae, is common in the Barents Sea. This study provides new evidence that the species acts as an epibiont of the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus, a non-indigenous but remarkably abundant decapod crustacean of immense commercial value in the coastal regions of the sea. This finding adds to the current collection of identified epibionts on the red king crab and highlights the prospect of ongoing symbiotic relationships between the crab and the regional fauna. We also provide photographic evidence of S. tubulosa colonies and a comparative morphological evaluation with another closely related corynid, Coryne hincksi Bonnevie, 1898, previously found on the red king crab. The main differences between these two species are the location of the gonophores (reproductive organs) on the hydranths and the final stage of their development: in the form of free-floating medusae (S. tubulosa) or remaining sessile as sporosacs (C. hincksi). Other distinguishing features include variations in hydranth morphology, number and arrangement of tentacles, and structural development of gonophores.
Funder
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Subject
Nature and Landscape Conservation,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous),Ecological Modeling,Ecology
Reference31 articles.
1. Epibiosis in Crustacea: An overview;Crustaceana,2010
2. Hermit crab biocoenoses: A worldwide review of the diversity and natural history of hermit crab associates;Williams;J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.,2004
3. An introduction to hydrozoa;Bouillon;Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle,2006
4. Antsulevich, A.E. (2015). Hydrozoa (Hydroids and Hydromedusae of Russian Seas), St. Petersburg University. (In Russian).
5. Schuchert, P. (2001). Hydroids of Greenland (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa). Meddelelser om Gremland. Bioscience, Danish Polar Center.