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

MENDEZ CASARIEGO, MARÍA AGUSTINA; MERLO, MATÍAS J.; ETCHEGOIN, JORGE A.

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 grapsidcrab Cyrtograpsus angulatus. They are similar in size but C. angulatus is mainly a subtidal species, while N. granulata inha-bits the intertidal zones, thus the two species overlap only during high tides in this area. Since these distribution differencesbetween crab species across the Mar Chiquita Coastal lagoon may affect digenean infection success, the objective of this workis to describe the spatial differences in parasite infection levels and their selectivity on the host. To determine possible spatialdifferences in parasitism levels between sites and crab species across the lagoon, three areas dominated by N. granulata wereselected and adult crabs of N. granulata and C. angulatus were collected. Both crab species harboured metacercariae of thedigeneans Microphallus szidati and Maritrema bonaerensis (Microphallidae), and cystacanths of the acanthocephalanProfilicollis chasmagnathi (Profilicollidae). Digenean species showed preferences between the two crabs. Maritrema bonaerensismean intensity was higher in N. granulata than in C. angulatus, while the opposite trend was found for M. szidati andcould indicate some level of specificity. These results, nevertheless, depended on the study site. For P. chasmagnathi the highestvalues of mean intensity depended more on the site than on the crab species. The values found here, compared with previousworks from both crab species, suggest that besides the spatial heterogeneity, interspecific competition between parasites couldexplain the differences observed.