The scleractinian Agaricia undata as a new host for the coral-gall crab Opecarcinus hypostegus at Bonaire, southern Cari
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The scleractinian Agaricia undata as a new host for the coral-gall crab Opecarcinus hypostegus at Bonaire, southern Caribbean Jaaziel E. García-Hernández 1
&
Werner de Gier 2,3
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Godfried W. N. M. van Moorsel 4,5
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Bert W. Hoeksema 2,3,6
Received: 20 May 2020 / Accepted: 8 August 2020 / Published online: 20 August 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The Caribbean scleractinian reef coral Agaricia undata (Agariciidae) is recorded for the first time as a host of the coral-gall crab Opecarcinus hypostegus (Cryptochiridae). The identity of the crab was confirmed with the help of DNA barcoding. The association has been documented with photographs taken in situ at 25 m depth and in the laboratory. The predominantly mesophotic depth range of the host species suggests this association to be present also at greater depths. With this record, all seven Agaricia species are now listed as gall-crab hosts, together with the agariciid Helioseris cucullata. Within the phylogeny of Agariciidae, Helioseris is not closely related to Agaricia. Therefore, the association between Caribbean agariciids and their gallcrab symbionts may either have originated early in their shared evolutionary history or later as a result of host range expansion. New information on coral-associated fauna, such as what is presented here, leads to a better insight on the diversity, evolution, and ecology of coral reef biota, particularly in the Caribbean, where cryptochirids have rarely been studied. Keywords Associated fauna . Brachyura . Coral reefs . Cryptochiridae . Marine biodiversity . Symbiosis
1 Introduction Reef coral species of various scleractinian families are known to host coral-gall crabs of the brachyuran family Cryptochiridae. These crabs dwell inside pits or galls inside the coral skeleton (Castro 1976, 2015; Klompmaker et al. 2016; Chan et al. 2020). In addition to Cryptochiridae, species of some other brachyuran families live inside scleractinian corals and modify their skeletons, such as the domeciid crab Domecia acanthophora (Desbonne and Schramm, 1867)
* Bert W. Hoeksema [email protected] 1
Marine Genomic Biodiversity Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, La Parguera, PR 00667, USA
2
Taxonomy and Systematics Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300, RA Leiden, The Netherlands
3
Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700, CC Groningen, The Netherlands
4
Ecosub, Berkenlaantje 2, 3956, DM Leersum, The Netherlands
5
ANEMOON Foundation, P.O. Box 29, 2120, AA Bennekom, The Netherlands
6
Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9505, 2300, RA Leiden, The Netherlands
living in association with species of the genus Acropora (Acroporidae) in the western Atlantic (Hoeksema and García-Hernández 2020). Although there is disagreement on whether to consider coral-gall crabs parasites or commensals, they are known to feed on their hosts and hinder their growth, and therefore the argument for parasitism is strongest (SimonBlecher
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