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Prevalence and Intensity of Porcellidiid Copepods Associated with Blueband Hermit Crab (Pagurus Samuelis) at Three Southern California Locations

AJAS · 2018

Jade Morris · Rowland Heights, CA

Overview

The symbiotic relationship between copepods belonging to the family Porcellidiidae and their hermit crab hosts has not been studied in the eastern Pacific. To better understand the ecology of the copepod symbionts and the possible impact on their hosts, we investigated the prevalence and intensity of an unidentified species of porcellidiid copepod associated with the blueband hermit crab (Pagurus samuelis) from three rocky intertidal locations along the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southern California (Malaga Cove, Pt. Fermin, and Cabrillo Outer Beach). From October 2016 to February 2017, we sampled 200 hermit crabs dwelling in a variety of gastropod shells. The number of symbiotic copepods was recorded along with the presence of an additional symbiont, the gastropod Crepidula williamsi, living inside the host shell. The overall prevalence and mean intensity of copepods was significantly higher at Pt. Fermin (81.2%, 6.7) compared to Cabrillo Outer Beach (1.7%, 1.0) or Malaga Cove (0%, 0) (p<0.0001). The copepod prevalence and mean intensity varied throughout the sampling period at Pt. Fermin (p = 0.02). No significant relationship was found between shell size and number of copepods (p=0.36). Further, no significant relationship was observed between the intensity of copepods and the presence of limpets (p=0.08). The results of this study provide some insight, for the first time, of the ecology of porcellidiid copepods on hermit crab hosts in the eastern Pacific.

Competition history

  • AJAS 2018 Category not listed

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Source: AAAS Annual Meeting (Confex) / American Junior Academy of Science

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