Ciliate diversity related to shrimps and blue crab

Abstract

Observations of ciliates using the Chatton–Lwoff wet silver method, Wilbert's protargol impregnation method, and silver carbonated method revealed the infraciliature and nuclear apparatus of species collected from the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) from Mississippi, white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) from South Carolina, northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) from Maine, and water associated with each. Specimens were measured and photographed under an Evolution MP 5.0 RTV digital camera system. More than 26 ciliate species, belonging to 21 families in 11 orders, were observed. Among them, five species occurred on or in the blue crab, four on the brown shrimp, two on the white shrimp, and three on the northern shrimp. Of those, only three infested more than one host species. We have seen additional symbiotic species on other specimens of the same hosts but not on those reported here. A total of 16 free‐living ciliate species occurred in the systems associated with the decapods. Among them, scuticociliates were the most important ones that could infect the decapods. One of these, Uronema marinum, also occurred in the hemolymph of the blue crab and impaired its health.The research was supported by the USDA, CSREES Grant No. 2002‐38808‐01381 and the Blue Crab Advanced Research Consortium (BCARC), NOAA, NA17FU2841.