Crustaceans as inhabitants of molluscan hosts: from comensal guest to body snatchers

E.H. OCAMPO

Shirahama

Simposio; International Symposium on evolutionary biology of parasitic and symbiotic relationships between molluscs and crustaceans; 2017

Seto Marine Laboratory

In the large subphylum Crustacea, species from all clades have independently evolved symbiotic relationships with a vast disparity of invertebrate, including species from all major taxa of Mollusca. Benefits that crustacean symbiont obtains and costs the molluscan host assumes are unknown for most associations. Symbiotic crustaceans may obtain a net of resources from their hosts including shelter, feeding place, and/or a place to find sexual partners. In turn, the host may suffers non deleterious or subtle effects when harbours a symbiotic crustacean. In other cases, however, the crustacean may inflicts physical injuries, and alterations in growth and/or metabolic rate, with the consequent reduction in lifespan and fecundity of the host. As an extreme case, some parasitic pea-crab species have been reported to completely castrate the slipper limpets they inhabit. Important economic losses are among the consequences of molluscs being colonized by crustaceans. Virulence may varies depending upon the degree of dependence in the association and it is understood as an unavoidable consequence of exploitation of the host?s resources. The study of symbioses between crustaceans and molluscs are needed to unmask the nature of each associations, and at the same time may help to improve generalized models that permit understand the evolution of parasitism and virulence.