Spatial variability of larval parasites harbored by two crab species in an estuarine environment from Argentina

MENDEZ, CASARIEGO AGUSTINA; MERLO, MATÍAS JAVIER; ETCHEGOIN, JORGE AALEJANDRO

JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2016 vol. 96 p. 633 - 637

0025-3154

Soft bottom intertidals of the Atlantic SW are dominated by the semi terrestrial crab Neohelice granulata and the grapsid crab Cyrtograpsus angulatus. They are similar in size but C. angulatus is mainly a subtidal species, while N. granulata inhabits the intertidal zones, then the two species overlap only during high tides in this area. Given this distribution differences between crab species across the Mar Chiquita Coastal lagoon that may affect digenean infection success, the objective of this work is to describe the spatial differences in parasite infection levels and their selectivity on the host. To determine possible spatial differences in parasitism levels between sites and crab species across the lagoon, 3 areas dominated by N. granulata were selected and adult crabs of N.granulata and C. angulatus were collected. Both crab species harbored metacercariae of the digeneans Microphallus szidati and Maritrema bonaerensis (Microphallidae), and cystacanths of the acanthocephalan Profilicollis chasmagnathi (Profilicollidae). Digenean species showed preferences between the two crabs. Maritrema bonaerensis mean intensity was higher in N. granulata than in C. angulatus, while the opposite trend was found for M. szidati and could indicate some level of specificity. These results nevertheless, depended on the study site. For P. chasmagnathi the highest values of mean intensity depended more on the site than on the crab species. The values found here compared with previous works from both crab species, suggest that besides the spatial heterogeneity, interspecific competition between parasites could explain differences observed.