Abstract
Abstract Reports on fungi occurring on marine crabs have been mostly related to those causing infections/diseases. To better understand the potential role(s) of fungi associated with marine crabs, this study investigated the culturable diversity of fungi on carapace of the marine shallow-water hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus collected at Kueishan Island, Taiwan. By sequencing the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), 18S and 28S of the rDNA for identification, 12 species of fungi were isolated from 46 individuals of X. testudinatus: Aspergillus penicillioides, Aspergillus versicolor, Candida parapsilosis, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Mycosphaerella sp., Parengyodontium album, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium paxili, Stachylidium bicolor, Zasmidium sp. (Ascomycota), Cystobasidium calyptogenae and Earliella scabrosa (Basidiomycota). With additional data from other published reports, a total of 26 species of fungi (23 Ascomycota, three Basidiomycota) have been recorded from X. testudinatus. Aspergillus is the most speciose genus on the crab, followed by Penicillium and Candida. All but one species (Xylaria arbuscula) had been previously isolated from substrates in the marine environment, although many are typical terrestrial taxa. None of the recorded fungi on X. testudinatus are reported pathogens of crabs, but some have caused diseases of other marine animals. Whether the crab X. testudinatus is a vehicle of marine fungal diseases requires further study.
Highlights
Kueishan Island is an active volcano situated at the northeastern end of the main Taiwan island
To better understand the potential role(s) of fungi associated with marine crabs, this study investigated the culturable diversity of fungi on carapace of the marine shallow-water hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus collected at Kueishan Island, Taiwan
In order to have a better understanding of the potential role(s) of fungi associated with X. testudinatus, a larger number of specimens of this species was collected in the hydrothermal vent area of Kueishan Island, and this study investigated the culturable diversity of fungi on the carapace of this crab based on molecular identification using three nuclear ribosomal genes (18S, internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), 28S)
Summary
Kueishan Island ( known as Turtle Island with reference to its shape) is an active volcano situated at the northeastern end of the main Taiwan island. At one end of the island, a shallowwater hydrothermal vent system is present with roughly 50 hydrothermal vents, where hydrothermal fluids (between 48 and 116 °C) and volcanic gases (carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide) are constantly being emitted (Chen et al 2005). The hydrothermal vent system of Kueishan Island is considered to be a mixed photosynthetic-chemosynthetic ecosystem in contrast to the obligate chemoautotrophic primary production in deep-sea hydrothermal vents (Chang et al 2018). With the possibly extreme environmental conditions (high temperature, low pH), macro- and microorganisms have been reported at/near the hydrothermal vent system of Kueishan Island, including fishes, crabs, mussels, sea anemones, snails, sipunculid worms, algae and zooplankton (Chen et al 2005; Kâ and Hwang 2011; von Corsel 2008).
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