Abstract
Decapod crustaceans are a diverse group that exploits various types of habitats in Costa Rica, where they represent 8.1% of the marine diversity of the country. This group includes families containing species with strictly symbiotic behavior, e.g., the Palaemonidae and Pinnotheridae. Despite the high diversity of decapods and the importance of symbionts in marine ecosystems, very little research has been done regarding symbiosis in Costa Rica and the Central American region. The objective of the present study is to present a check list of the species of decapods that are associated with macroinvertebrates in Pacific Costa Rica. The research was carried out using different sources, including a literature review, the Crustaceans Collection of the Zoology Museum of the University of Costa Rica, and field surveys between 1970 and 2019 along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and Isla del Coco, 500 km offshore. One-hundred associations are reported, of 74 species of symbiotic decapods with six host phyla. Seventy-four associated with Cnidaria, 15 with Echinodermata, four each with Annelida and Mollusca, two with Chordata, and one with Porifera. In total, there were 14 new reports of decapods occurring on Isla del Coco and four new reports of decapods for Costa Rica: Pseudocoutierea elegans, Raytheres clavapedatus, Tuleariocaris holthuisi, and Calyptraeotheres pepeluisi. These results highlight the need to conduct more detailed studies to determine the real diversity and ecological importance of the associations between marine organisms.
Highlights
The diversity of decapod crustaceans is directly correlated with the abundance of habitats exploited by these organisms, including continental waters, intertidal zones, coral reefs, the deep sea and even the body cavities of other marine organisms (Bruce 1976; Martin and Davis 2001; Macedo et al 2012; Sal Moyano et al 2012; Baeza 2015)
Fifty percent of the studies deal with pea crabs (Pinnotheridae), 35% are about the shrimp family Palaemoniidae, and the remaining 15% are derived from studies of the diversity of organisms associated with the coral P. damicornis (Cabrera-Peña and Solano-López 1996; Cabrera-Peña et al 2001; Alvarado and Vargas-Castillo 2012; Azofeifa-Solano et al 2014; Mena et al 2014; Salas-Moya et al 2014)
There is a need for more detailed studies of decapod crustaceans associated with macroinvertebrates
Summary
The diversity of decapod crustaceans is directly correlated with the abundance of habitats exploited by these organisms, including continental waters, intertidal zones, coral reefs, the deep sea and even the body cavities of other marine organisms (Bruce 1976; Martin and Davis 2001; Macedo et al 2012; Sal Moyano et al 2012; Baeza 2015). The different species expend a great deal of energy in habitat selection because the location that they choose should allow them to survive, and to reproduce (Anthony and Cannolly 2004) In their search for shelter, many of these animals are exposed to the presence of spatially and temporarily limited. Salas-Moya et al Marine Biodiversity Records (2021) 14:6 in both oceans (Vargas and Wehrtmann 2009; Wehrtmann et al 2009) The families in this group with the greatest species richness in Pacific Costa Rica are Xanthidae (45 spp.), Porcellanidae (44 spp.), Majidae (43 spp.), Alpheidae (34 spp.), Ocypodidae (28 spp.) and Palaemonidae (23 spp.) (Vargas and Wehrtmann 2009).
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