Abstract
BackgroundGall crabs were described 150 years ago, but little is known about their biology, ecology, and taxonomy. Studying the breeding season can facilitate the understanding of the adaptive strategies and reproductive potential of gall crab and its relationship with the environment and other species.ResultsGrowth and reproductive biology of the coral gall crab, Hapalocarcinus marsupialis, were studied at the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt. A total of 209 specimens were collected from different reef depths during 2014. The relationship between the carapace width (CW) and total body wet weight (W) was represented as Log W = 0.190 + 2.87 Log CW. Growth generally shows a negative allometric pattern, while the relation between CW and the carapace length (CL) is represented by Log CL = 0.019 + 1.009 Log CW. This relation is linear and shows an isometric regression coefficient. The overall value for “kn” is varied from 0.8 to 1.24, with an average of 1.11 ± 0.13, which denotes fitness for females. H. marsupialis shows clear sexual dimorphism and has a lengthy definite breeding season characterized by carrying eggs throughout the year. The incubated eggs are semispherical in shape, with diameter ranges according to maturity stages between 10 and 50 μm. The color of incubated eggs is also varied according to the developmental stage. Most females attain sexual maturity between 2.0- and 2.49-mm CW. Juveniles were recorded during each month of the year except in January and October. Fecundity varied from 10 to 740 eggs, with an average of 230 ± 173 eggs/female, showing linear relation with the carapace width. A significant relationship between the carapace width and fecundity was represented by Log F = 0.22 + 2.39 Log CW.ConclusionThe present study emphasized the reproductive biology of H. marsupialis and explained the size structure, sexual dimorphism, breeding season, fecundity, size at first maturity, and juvenile’s recruitments in the three selected sites Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba along the Gulf of Aqaba.
Highlights
Gall crabs were described 150 years ago, but little is known about their biology, ecology, and taxonomy
The present study aims to study the reproductive biology of H. marsupialis, with emphasis on size structure, sexual dimorphism, breeding season, fecundity, size at first maturity, and juvenile recruitments in the three selected sites, Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba along the Gulf of Aqaba
Morphometric relationships A total of 165 female specimens of H. marsupialis were used for studying the relationship between crab carapace width (CW) and W
Summary
Gall crabs were described 150 years ago, but little is known about their biology, ecology, and taxonomy. Studying the breeding season can facilitate the understanding of the adaptive strategies and reproductive potential of gall crab and its relationship with the environment and other species. The coral gall crab, Hapalocarcinus marsupialis, was described for the first time living on corals (Stimpson, 1859). The ability of the crab to initiate gall development in its host coral was documented by Verrill (1867). Kotb and Hartnoll (2002) studied the reproduction of gall crab H. marsupialis in Stylophora pistillata and divided the coral galls into five stages, where the late stages contained larger and matured crabs and had a high crab production of ovigerous females. The physiological state of the gall crabs declines the growth rates and may increase mortality due to feed reduction or reproduction diversion (Hartnoll, 2006)
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