Sympatry in grapsoid crabs (genera Planes and Plagusia) from olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), with descriptions of crab diets and masticatory structures

• Published in: Marine biology Vol. 158; no. 8; pp. 1699 - 1708
• Main Authors: Frick, Michael G., Kopitsky, Kerry, Bolten, Alan B., Bjorndal, Karen A., Martins, Helen R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-08-2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Aquatic reptiles; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Crustacea; Crustaceans; Decapoda; Diet; Flotsam; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Invertebrates; Lepidochelys olivacea; Life Sciences; Marine; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine biology; Microbiology; Morphology; Oceanography; Original Paper; Plagusia; Planes minutus; Reptiles & amphibians; Sea water ecosystems; Shellfish; Synecology; Teeth; Zoology; Olive Ridley; Gastric Mill; Median Tooth; Lateral Tooth; Brachyuran Crab; Crustacea; Vertebrata; Description; Diet; Chelonia; Arthropoda; Brachyura; Sympatry; Reptilia; Decapoda; Invertebrata; Feeding
• ISSN: 0025-3162; 1432-1793
• DOI: 10.1007/s00227-011-1684-9

Grapsoid crabs of the genera
Planes
and
Plagusia
are commonly referred to as “rafting crabs” due to their propensity to live on flotsam and pelagic marine animals.
Planes minutus
and
Planes major
(=
Planes cyaneus
) are epibionts of sea turtles. Occurrences of grapsoid crabs in the genera
Planes
and
Plagusia
were evaluated on a total of 27 olive ridley sea turtles,
Lepidochelys olivacea
, from the eastern tropic Pacific (1998–2001) and the Hawaiian Islands (2002) captured in July–December each year. This is the first report of
Planes marinus
and
Plagusia
squamosa
on sea turtles, and of
P
.
major
,
P
.
marinus
, and
P
.
squamosa
in sympatry on a confined substrate. Stomach content analyses showed
P
.
major
and
P
.
marinus
consumed a variety of neuston and marine vegetation, with the former consuming considerably more animal material. Epibiotic
P
.
squamosa
consumed mostly plant material. The three
Planes
species had distinctive differences in gastric mill tooth morphology. The versatile mouthparts of
P
.
marinus
are described and resemble those of their congeners. Most female
P
.
major
and
P
.
marinus
collected were ovigerous and present in all survey months.