Abstract
The Crustacea associated with Stylophora pistillata (Esper) colonies have been studied on four reefs of differing exposure in the Sudanese Red Sea. The numbers of both individuals and species of Crustacea found in S. pistillata colonies from reef flat habitats were greater than those found in colonies collected from deeper water. The smaller size of the deeper water colonies did not wholly account for this phenomenon and it appears that the greater openness or branching index of the deeper water colonies, and hence the reduced protection offered by these colonies, may also contribute to the impoverished deeper water crustacean community. The differing exposure of the reefs studied does not appear greatly to affect their S. pistillata crustacean communities. The community of Crustacea associated with S. pistillata is dominated by members of the genus Trapezia: T. Jerruginea Latreille, T. digitalis Latreille, and T. guttata Rüppell. T. digitalis is confined to reef flat colonies and T. guttata to deeper water colonies. T. Jerruginea occurs on the reef flat, where it generally co-exists with T. digitalis, but is also fairly common to a depth of 5 m on the reef slope. The evidence for the occurrence of character displacement in T. ferruginea and T. digitalis to allow their co-existence in the same Stylophora pistillata colonies is examined. The distribution and abundance of other species of Crustacea associated with S. pistillata is discussed.
Published Version
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