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Discovery of a new species of hermit crab of the genus Pylopaguropsis Alcock, 1905 from the Caribbean: "den commensal" or "cleaner"? (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguridae).

ABSTRACT: A new secretive, yet brightly colored hermit crab species of the family Paguridae, Pylopaguropsis mollymulleraesp. n., is fully described based on specimens from the reefs of Bonaire, Lesser Antilles, southern Caribbean Sea. Populations of this new species were discovered and photographed in the Bonaire National Marine Park under a large coral ledge, at a depth of 13.7 m, living in crevices known by scuba divers to serve as den to a pair of "flaming reef lobsters" Enoplometopus antillensis, or a "broad banded moray" Channomuraena vittata. This new species is only the second species of Pylopaguropsis Alcock, 1905 known from the western Atlantic, the 20^th named worldwide, and belongs in the teevana group of species of the genus. It is remarkably similar, and herein considered geminate, to the tropical eastern Pacific congener, Pylopaguropsis teevana (Boone, 1932), the two being characterized and uniquely different from all other species of the genus, by the striking and deeply excavated, scoop-like ventral surface of the chela of the right cheliped. Minor differences separate this new species from Pylopaguropsis teevana in the relative length of the antennal acicles (exceeding the corneas versus not exceeding the corneas in Pylopaguropsis teevana); dorsal armature of the right chela (smooth or with scattered minute tubercles versus with numerous small tubercles in Pylopaguropsis teevana); surface shape of the lateral face of the dactyl of right pereopod 3 (evenly convex versus flattened in Pylopaguropsis teevana); and coloration (red bright red stripes versus brown stripes in Pylopaguropsis teevana). The highly visible color pattern of bright red stripes on white background typical of decapods known to have cleaning symbioses with fish, dense setation on the flagella of the antennae, and preference for a crevicular habitat, combined with brief in situ nocturnal observations, suggests the possibility that Pylopaguropsis mollymullerae sp. n. engages in "cleaner" activities or functions as a "den commensal" with moray eels. The morphology and possible meaning of the observed behavior is discussed. A tabular summary of the distribution, habitat, and published information on all species of Pylopaguropsis is presented. Supplemental photographs and a video of live Pylopaguropsis mollymulleraesp. n. are included.

SUBMITTER: Lemaitre R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5299445 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Discovery of a new species of hermit crab of the genus Pylopaguropsis Alcock, 1905 from the Caribbean: "den commensal" or "cleaner"? (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguridae).

Lemaitre Rafael R

ZooKeys 20170119 646

A new secretive, yet brightly colored hermit crab species of the family Paguridae, Pylopaguropsis mollymulleraesp. n., is fully described based on specimens from the reefs of Bonaire, Lesser Antilles, southern Caribbean Sea. Populations of this new species were discovered and photographed in the Bonaire National Marine Park under a large coral ledge, at a depth of 13.7 m, living in crevices known by scuba divers to serve as den to a pair of "flaming reef lobsters" Enoplometopus ...[more]

PMID: 28228681

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Project description:For 130 years the diogenid genus Paguropsis Henderson, 1888 was considered monotypic for an unusual species, P. typica Henderson, 1888, described from the Philippines and seldom reported since. Although scantly studied, this species is known to live in striking symbiosis with a colonial sea anemone that the hermit can stretch back and forth like a blanket over its cephalic shield and part of cephalothoracic appendages, and thus the common name "blanket-crab". During a study of paguroid collections obtained during recent French-sponsored biodiversity campaigns in the Indo-West Pacific, numerous specimens assignable to Paguropsis were encountered. Analysis and comparison with types and other historical specimens deposited in various museums revealed the existence of five undescribed species. Discovery of these new species, together with the observation of anatomical characters previously undocumented or poorly described, including coloration, required a revision of the genus Paguropsis. The name Chlaenopagurus andersoni Alcock & McArdle, 1901, considered by Alcock (1905) a junior synonym of P. typica, proved to be a valid species and is resurrected as P. andersoni (Alcock, 1899). In two of the new species, the shape of the gills, length/width of exopod of maxilliped 3, width and shape of sternite XI (of pereopods 3), and armature of the dactyls and fixed fingers of the chelate pereopods 4, were found to be characters so markedly different from P. typica and other species discovered that a new genus for them, Paguropsinagen. n., is justified. As result, the genus Paguropsis is found to contain five species: P. typica, P. andersoni, P. confusasp. n., P. gigassp. n., and P. laciniasp. n. Herein, Paguropsinagen. n., is proposed and diagnosed for two new species, P. pistillatagen. et sp. n., and P. inermisgen. et sp. n.; Paguropsis is redefined, P. typica and its previously believed junior synonym, P. andersoni, are redescribed. All species are illustrated, and color photographs provided. Also included are a summary of the biogeography of the two genera and all species; remarks on the significance of the unusual morphology; and remarks on knowledge of the symbiotic anemones used by the species. To complement the morphological descriptions and assist in future population and phylogenetic investigations, molecular data for mitochondrial COI barcode region and partial sequences of 12S and 16S rRNA are reported. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis using molecular data distinctly shows support for the separation of the species into two clades, one with all five species of Paguropsis, and another with the two species Paguropsinagen. n.

Project description:BACKGROUND:The infraorder Anomura has long captivated the attention of evolutionary biologists due to its impressive morphological diversity and ecological adaptations. To date, 2500 extant species have been described but phylogenetic relationships at high taxonomic levels remain unresolved. Here, we reconstruct the evolutionary history-phylogeny, divergence times, character evolution and diversification-of this speciose clade. For this purpose, we sequenced two mitochondrial (16S and 12S) and three nuclear (H3, 18S and 28S) markers for 19 of the 20 extant families, using traditional Sanger and next-generation 454 sequencing methods. Molecular data were combined with 156 morphological characters in order to estimate the largest anomuran phylogeny to date. The anomuran fossil record allowed us to incorporate 31 fossils for divergence time analyses. RESULTS:Our best phylogenetic hypothesis (morphological?+?molecular data) supports most anomuran superfamilies and families as monophyletic. However, three families and eleven genera are recovered as para- and polyphyletic. Divergence time analysis dates the origin of Anomura to the Late Permian ~259 (224-296) MYA with many of the present day families radiating during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Ancestral state reconstruction suggests that carcinization occurred independently 3 times within the group. The invasion of freshwater and terrestrial environments both occurred between the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary. Diversification analyses found the speciation rate to be low across Anomura, and we identify 2 major changes in the tempo of diversification; the most significant at the base of a clade that includes the squat-lobster family Chirostylidae. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings are compared against current classifications and previous hypotheses of anomuran relationships. Many families and genera appear to be poly- or paraphyletic suggesting a need for further taxonomic revisions at these levels. A divergence time analysis provides key insights into the origins of major lineages and events and the timing of morphological (body form) and ecological (habitat) transitions. Living anomuran biodiversity is the product of 2 major changes in the tempo of diversification; our initial insights suggest that the acquisition of a crab-like form did not act as a key innovation.

Dataset Information

Discovery of a new species of hermit crab of the genus Pylopaguropsis Alcock, 1905 from the Caribbean: "den commensal" or "cleaner"? (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguridae).

Publications

Discovery of a new species of hermit crab of the genus <i>Pylopaguropsis</i> Alcock, 1905 from the Caribbean: "den commensal" or "cleaner"? (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguridae).

Similar Datasets

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