ASSOCIATION OF SYNALPHEUS (CRUSTACEA, DECAPODA, ALPHEIDAE) WITH THE SPONGES FROM PARQUE MARINO NACIONAL SISTEMA ARRECIFAL VERACRUZANO, SW GULF OF MEXICO

Abstract

We assessed the association between five Synalpheus shrimp species (Synalpheus brevicarpus, Synalpheus fritzmuelleri, Synalpheus minus, Synalpheus scaphoceris, and Synalpheus towsendi) and five sponges (Amphimedon compressa, Aplysina fistularis, Ircinia fistularis, Ircinia. strobilina, and Sidonops neptuni) from parque marino nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano. Abundance of shrimp in each sponge species collected was noted. The Jaccard index (J) of association was applied to verify this association in six reefs in the park. Further, the correlation between shrimp carapace depth and sponge canal diameter was assessed. The total number of shrimps collected was 102, with the highest number of individuals (n = 62) for S. fritzmuelleri. The highest association was noted between S. towsendi and A. compressa (J = 1), followed by S. fritzmuelleri and I. fistularis (J = 0.88) and S. minus and I. strobilina (J = 0.66). The largest carapace depth (3.40 ± 0.20 mm) was observed for females of S. minus. A positive and significant correlation was noted between shrimp carapace depth and sponge canal diameter (P < 0.001).