Abstract
Coral reef cryptofauna forms an important component of tropical marine biodiversity, consisting primarily of invertebrates dwelling in and on corals. During a survey carried out around the Semporna peninsula (Sabah, NE Borneo), the occurrence of gall crabs inhabiting mushroom corals was examined on reefs ranging from sheltered to exposed conditions. Out of 44 fungiid species, 19 were found to be associated with gall crabs. The gall crabs were observed at 85 % of the 62 studied sites, and their occurrence rates per site ranged between 0 and 25 %. High occupancy rates were almost equally distributed over the northern (sheltered) and southern (exposed) sites. Sites without gall crabs were all wave-exposed and predominantly under the influence of disturbances, such as blast fishing or relatively high nutrient loads.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bos AR (2012) Fishes (Gobiidae and Labridae) associated with the mushroom coral Heliofungia actiniformis (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Philippines. Coral Reefs 31:133
Carricart-Ganivet JP, Carrera-Parra LF, Quan-Young LI, García-Madrigal MS (2004) Ecological note on Troglocarcinus corallicola (Brachyura: Cryptochiridae) living in symbiosis with Manicina areolata (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) in the Mexican Caribbean. Coral Reefs 23:215–217
Clarke KR, Gorley RN (2006) PRIMER v6: user manual/tutorial. PRIMER-E, Plymouth
Erftemeijer PLA, Riegl B, Hoeksema BW, Todd PA (2012) Environmental impacts of dredging and other sediment disturbances on corals: a review. Mar Pollut Bull 64:1737–1765
Fize A, Serène R (1957) Les hapalocarcinides du Viet-Nam. Mém Inst Océanogr Nhatrang 10:1–202
Gittenberger A, Hoeksema BW (2013) Habitat preferences of coral-associated wentletrap snails (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae). Contrib Zool (in press)
Gittenberger A, Reijnen BT, Hoeksema BW (2011) A molecularly based phylogeny reconstruction of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) with taxonomic consequences and evolutionary implications for life history traits. Contrib Zool 80:107–132
Hoeksema BW (1989) Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae). Zool Verh 254:1–295
Hoeksema BW (1991a) Control of bleaching in mushroom coral populations (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Java Sea: stress tolerance and interference by life history strategy. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 74:225–237
Hoeksema BW (1991b) Evolution of body size in mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) and its ecomorphological consequences. Neth J Zool 41:122–139
Hoeksema BW (2007) Delineation of the Indo-Malayan centre of maximum marine biodiversity: the Coral Triangle. In: Renema W (ed) Biogeography, time and place: distributions, barriers and islands. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 117–178
Hoeksema BW (2012) Distribution patterns of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) across the Spermonde Shelf, South Sulawesi. Raffles Bull Zool 60:183–212
Hoeksema BW, Koh EGL (2009) Depauperation of the mushroom coral fauna (Fungiidae) of Singapore (1860 s–2006) in changing reef conditions. Raffles Bull Zool Suppl 22:91–101
Hoeksema BW, Moka W (1989) Species assemblages and ecomorph variation of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) related to reef habitats in the Flores Sea. Neth J Sea Res 23:149–160
Hoeksema BW, van der Meij SET (2013) Gall crab city: an aggregation of endosymbiotic crabs inhabiting a colossal colony of Pavona clavus. Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-012-0954-4
Hoeksema BW, van der Meij SET, Fransen CHJM (2012) The mushroom coral as a habitat. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 92:647–663
Johnsson R, Neves E, Franco GMO, da Silveira FL (2006) The association of two gall crabs (Brachyura: Cryptochiridae) with the reef-building coral Siderastrea stellata Verrill, 1868. Hydrobiologia 559:379–384
Kramarsky-Winter E, Galil BS, Loya Y (1995) Biology and ecology of the cryptic cryptochirid crab Fungicola fagei and its free-living coral host Fungia granulosa. Israel J Zool 41:94–95
Kropp RK (1990) Revision of the genera of gall crabs (Crustacea: Cryptochiridae) occurring in the Pacific Ocean. Pac Sci 44:417–448
Kropp RK, Manning RB (1987) The Atlantic gall crabs, family cryptochiridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). Smithson Contrib Zool 462:1–21
Oigman-Pszczol SS, Creed JC (2006) Distribution and abundance of fauna on living tissues of two Brazilian hermatypic corals (Mussismilia hispida (Verril, 1902) and Siderastrea stellata Verril, 1868). Hydrobiologia 563:143–154
Sebens KP (1994) Biodiversity of coral-reefs: what are we losing and why? Am Zool 34:115–133
Simon-Blecher N, Achituv Y (1997) Relationship between the coral pit crab Cryptochirus coralliodytes Heller and its host coral. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 215:93–102
Stella JS, Jones GP, Pratchett MS (2010) Variation in the structure of epifaunal invertebrate assemblages among coral hosts. Coral Reefs 29:957–973
Stella JS, Pratchett MS, Hutchings PA, Jones GP (2011) Coral-associated invertebrates: diversity, ecological importance and vulnerability to disturbance. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 49:43–104
van der Meij SET (2012) Host preferences, colour patterns and distribution records of Pseudocryptochirus viridis Hiro, 1938 (Decapoda, Cryptochiridae). Crustaceana 85:769–777
van der Meij SET, Suharsono, Hoeksema BW (2010) Long-term changes in coral assemblages under natural and anthropogenic stress in Jakarta Bay (1920–2005). Mar Pollut Bull 60:1442–1454
Waheed Z, Hoeksema BW (2013) A tale of two winds: species richness patterns of reef corals around the Semporna peninsula, Malaysia. Mar Biodivers. doi:10.1007/s12526-012-0130-7
Acknowledgements
The 2010 Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition was jointly organized by WWF-Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaya’s Institute of Biological Sciences and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, and was funded through WWF-Malaysia. The research permits for Malaysia were granted by the Prime Minister’s Department, Economic Planning Unit Sabah, Sabah Parks and Department of Fisheries Sabah. We thank the reviewers and Zarinah Waheed (Naturalis) for their constructive remarks on the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van der Meij, S.E.T., Hoeksema, B.W. Distribution of gall crabs inhabiting mushroom corals on Semporna reefs, Malaysia. Mar Biodiv 43, 53–59 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-012-0135-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-012-0135-2