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Comprehensive Description

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Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850)

Porcellana armata Gibbes. 1850:190.

Petrolisthes armatus.—Stimpson, 1858:227 [listed].—Haig, 1956:19 [Atlantic synonymy]; 1960:50, pl. 19: fig. 2 [Pacific synonymy].—Leary, 1967:27, figure, 28 [listed].—Gore, 1974:702 [table], 709.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—PACIFIC. Aguadulce, Salado Playa; 6 , 13 , 8 ovigerous; 9 Nov 1968. Punta Paitilla; 19 , 33 , 28 ovigerous; 21 Oct 1967, 27 Nov and 7 Dec 1968, 14, 15 Apr and 1, 7 Jul 1969. Albert Einstein Institute; 7 , 13 , 11 ovigerous; 17 Feb 1969. Panama Canal, Pacific entrance; 3 , ovigerous; 16 Apr 1969. Rodman Naval Station; 4 , 3 , ovigerous; 17 Apr 1969. Fort Kobbe; 20 , 18 , 17 ovigerous; 8 May and 1 Jul, 1969. Perlas Islands; 1 ; 25 Jan 1969. Isla Chepillo; 5 , 4 , 3 ovigerous; 26 May 1969. Miguel River, Fort Clayton; 1, 1 , and its molt; 10 Jun 1974. ATLANTIC. Fort Sherman; 5 , 2 , ovigerous, plus 8 dried speciments not sexed; 18 Jan and 8 Feb 1969. Coco Solo; 6 , 8 , 5 ovigerous; 22 Apr 1969. Galeta Island; 4 , 3 , ovigerous; 11 Mar, 3 May, and 15 Jul 1969. Portobelo Bay; 1 . ovigerous; 14 May 1969.

MEASUREMENTS.—PACIFIC. Males 2.6 × 2.4 to 13.2 × 13.0 mm; females 3.3 × 3.9 to 12.6 × 12.6 mm; ovigerous females 3.9 × 3.8 to 11.5 × 11.5 mm. ATLANTIC. Males 2.9 × 2.6 to 9.7 × 9.0 mm; females 2.8 × 2.6 to 7.2 × 7.0 mm; ovigerous females 4.0 × 3.9 to 8.0 × 7.6 mm.

DISTRIBUTION.—Widely distributed from the tropical western coast of Africa, the east central coast of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean as far south as Santa Catharina, Brazil; in the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California, Mexico, to Peru. It has been known from the Pacific coast of Panama since 1859, well before construction of the Panama Canal; intertidal zone to a maximum of 20 m.
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bibliographic citation
Gore, Robert H. and Abele, Lawrence G. 1976. "Shallow water porcelain crabs from the Pacific coast of Panamá and adjacent Caribbean waters (Crustacea, Anomura, Porcellanidae)." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-30. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.237

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology
Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850)

Petrolisthes armatus.—Holthuis and Manning, 1970:242.—Coêlho and Ramos, 1972:174.—Werding, 1977:174, 176, 197, 198, fig. 18; 1978b: 214, 219. [Atlantic synonymy.]

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—MEXICO, Sinaloa, Tobolobampo Harbor (sta 1554), 1; Nayarit, Chacala (sta 1557), 1 Jalisco, Bahía Cuastecomate (sta 1559), 1 cheliped; EL SALVADOR, La Unión, W of Punta Mala (sta 1295), 1; Los Maquilis, W of Punta Amapala (sta 1466), 2; (sta 1564), 12, 14 (12 ovigerous); HONDURAS, Valle, Golfo de Fonesca (sta 1468), 2, 3 (1 ovigerous); NICARAGUA, Managua, Playas Masachapa (sta 1565), 1 ovigerous; PANAMA, Aquadulce, Bahía Parita (sta 20-3, 6), 14, 31 (19 ovigerous), 1 juv; Fort Kobbe (sta 2015), 6 (sta 108-1, 2, 7), 13, 11 (8 ovigerous), 2 juv; Venado Beach (sta 2002), 1 ovigerous; (sta 1607), 6, 2 ovigerous; W of Venado Island (sta 23-1, 2), 10, 16 (12 ovigerous); E of Venado Island (sta 54), 10, 7 (5 ovigerous); Isla Venado (sta 88-5, 6), 3, 3 (1 ovigerous), 2 juv; (sta 111-1, 4), 19, 13 (12 ovigerous), 1 juv; (sta 132-1E), 7, 2 Farfan (sta 56-1), 8, 8 (6 ovigerous), 3 juv; (sta 85-2, 8, 9), 6, 6 ovigerous, 3 juv; (sta 113-1, 2), 8, 5 ovigerous; (sta 134-1D), 2 ovigerous; Fort Amador, Naos Island causeway (sta 1483), 1; (sta 1521), 1; (sta 1531), 1 ovigerous; (sta 1604), 5, 4 ovigerous; Naos Island (sta LGA 69-14), 3 juv; (sta 50), 3, 2 ovigerous; (sta 105), 11, 9 (6 ovigerous), 1 juv, 1 molt; (sta 106), 45, 24 (18 ovigerous), 15 juv; Culebra Island (sta 22-3), 7, 9 (5 ovigerous), 53 juv; (sta 28-1, 2) 8, 4 ovigerous, 14 juv; Naos Island, “Scout” Island (sta 131-1A), 1 ovigerous; Panama City, Punta Paitilla (sta 2003), 1; Bay W of Punta Paitilla (sta 2004), 1, 1 ovigerous; Paitilla Beach (sta 25-2, 3), 10, 4 ovigerous; (sta 84-B, E), 8, 3 (1 ovigerous); (sta 107-1), 15, 4 ovigerous, 1 juv; (sta 129-1A, 2B), 3, 3 (2 ovigerous); Panama Reef (sta 1499), 1, 2 (1 ovigerous); (sta 58-4), 10, 6 (4 ovigerous), 1 crushed specimen; Recife de Casa de Putas (sta 92-4, 5), 13, 9 (7 ovigerous); (sta 133-5A, B), 24, 13 (12 ovigerous); Bay of Panama, Perlas Islands, Pedro Gonzales Island (sta 33-3), 1 ovigerous; (sta 38-1), 2, 2 PANAMA, Atlantic, Golfo de San Blas, Pico Feo (sta 115-3), 1 Isla Mira (sta 116-1), 2 juv; Colon, E of Maria Chiquita (sta 123-1), 2, 1 juv; Limón Bay, Fort Randolph (sta 145-3, 6), 7, 8 (3 ovigerous); (sta 153-1, 4), 2, 2 ovigerous; Toro Point (sta 10-5), 1 ovigerous; (sta 125-1), 5, 3 (2 ovigerous), 1 juv; Fort Sherman (sta 62), 3; (sta 122-1, 2), 5, 4 ovigerous; 1/2 mile [0.8 km] S of Fort Sherman (sta 144), 1, 1 (ovigerous); Canal Zone, Gatun Locks (sta 81-1, 2, 4, 9), 27, 35 (6 ovigerous); (sta 1687), 2, 1 UNKNOWN LOCATIONS, Biffar and Abele station, 1 LGA 1969 [Abele station], 1 Atlantic [Meek and Hildebrand station], 2 (1 ovigerous).

MEASUREMENTS.—Pacific specimens, 2.0 × 1.8 to 16.8 × 16.5 mm, smallest ovigerous, 3.8 × 3.5 mm; Atlantic specimens, 1.1 × 1.1 to 10.4 × 9.1 mm, smallest ovigerous, 4.1 × 3.8 mm.

DISTRIBUTION.—Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to Florida, the Caribbean Sea to Brazil; eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to Peru; littoral to about 30 m (Haig, 1960). Although common along the Panamanian coastline, the species was curiously absent from all offshore stations, including the islands sampled in the Bay of Panama.
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bibliographic citation
Gore, Robert H. 1982. "Porcellanid crabs from the coasts of Mexico and Central America (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura)." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-34. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.363

Petrolisthes armatus

provided by wikipedia EN

Petrolisthes armatus, the green porcelain crab, is a species of small porcelain crab in the family Porcellanidae. It is believed to be native to Brazil but has spread to other parts of the world. Populations in the south eastern part of the United States have increased dramatically and the species is considered to be an invasive species.

Taxonomy

Although superficially resembling true crabs, porcelain crabs are sometimes known as half-crabs and are in the infra-order Anomura and thus more closely related to squat lobsters than to crabs.[2] Because of its wide geographical range, several authors have questioned whether Petrolisthes armatus is a single species or a species complex.[3] It has been suggested that there are three separate lineages, one from the warm-temperate Atlantic region, one from the Caribbean and one from the eastern Pacific. Research using mitochondrial DNA to study the genetic variability of Petrolisthes armatus has led to the conclusion that it is monophyletic, a single species with an exceptionally wide range. In fact, specimens from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Ecuador were found to be more closely related to those in the Gulf of Mexico than to individuals in other parts of the Pacific.[3]

Description

The carapace of Petrolisthes armatus is roughly oval with a bluntly pointed front, and is granulated and covered with shallow, narrow ridges. P. armatus has two long chelipeds with chelae (pincers), three pairs of walking legs and a vestigial fourth pair. The chelipeds are composed of four rather than five segments and the chelae are long and have a distinctive orange spot that becomes visible when they are parted. The antennae, which have a spine on the first segment, are set outside the stalked eyes. This is characteristic of porcelain crabs, and is in contrast to most families of crabs, where they are set between the eyes. Petrolisthes armatus is a very small species, varying in length between 6 and 8 mm (0.24 and 0.31 in) with a weight of about 0.5 g (0.02 oz). The colour is generally brown or dark olive-green. Juveniles tend to be paler and mottled. The mouthparts sometimes have bright blue portions and the whole animal is occasionally bright blue.[2][4][5]

Distribution and habitat

Petrolisthes armatus is believed to have originated off the coast of Brazil, although this is not certain.[2] However, by the 1930s, it was known off the east coast of Florida, and it has spread since then to the whole of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. It is also known from the tropical west African coast, Ascension Island, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies, and the tropical Atlantic coast of South America.[2] It also occurs in the eastern Pacific, from the Baja California Peninsula southwards to Peru, and has been known from the coast of Panama since 1859, before the Panama Canal was constructed.[6] Its depth range is from the lower intertidal zone to the shallow subtidal zone and it lives on rock rubble, oyster beds,[5] soft sediments, and mangroves.[2]

On the South Carolina and Georgia coasts, it has become very numerous, with densities as high as 30,000 individuals per square metre (2,800 per square foot) having been recorded.[2] It is causing concern because of its impact on the local environment, the fact that it competes with native species, and the concern that it may affect shellfish production in oyster beds.[2] It seems likely that the larvae of Petrolisthes armatus have been carried to new locations in ballast water, or it may have been introduced during the seeding of oyster or other shellfish beds during aquaculture procedures.[7]

Biology

Petrolisthes armatus is primarily a filter feeder. It has large feathery mouthparts with which it snares zooplankton, and other smaller mouthparts transfer the particles to its mouth. It is also a scavenger, feeding on any animal remains it finds on the seabed. It sometimes forms symbiotic relationships with other invertebrates, such as sponges. When it does this, it positions itself so that the water current produced by the sponge passes its own feeding apparatus where it can intercept food particles.[8]

After mating, the female stores spermatophores until her eggs are mature. When the eggs have been fertilised, the female retains them under her tail flap which is folded underneath her body. Here, they are aerated by the pleopods (swimming legs) until they are ready to hatch. The larvae are planktonic and there are two zoeal larval stages and one megalopal stage. When they are ready to undergo metamorphosis, the larvae settle on the sea bed, possibly attracted to a particular location by pheromones released by other species. The females may become sexually mature when only 3 mm (0.12 in) in length.[5][7]

Petrolisthes armatus is frequently parasitised by the isopod Aporobopyrus curtatus. Up to 17% of individuals have been found to be infected, and up to six isopods have been found per host, but more usually a single pair of immature or mature isopods. Infestation by a juvenile isopod occurs at an early age and host and parasite grow synchronously. The isopod is present in both male and female porcelain crabs, but not usually in egg-carrying females. The effect of the parasitism is to castrate the host but the porcelain crab's growth is unaffected. The low prevalence of the infestation favours both the host and the parasite.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Osawa, Masayuki (2013). "Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Fofonoff, P. W.; Ruiz, G.M.; Steves, B.; Carlton, J. T. (2003). "Petrolisthes armatus". National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  3. ^ a b Mantelatto, Fernando L.; Pileggi, Leonardo G.; Miranda, Ivana; Wehrtmann, Ingo S. (2011). "Does Petrolisthes armatus (Anomura, Porcellanidae) form a species complex or are we dealing with just one widely distributed species?" (PDF). Zoological Studies. 50: 372–384.
  4. ^ Simmons, Dawn. "Green Porcelain Crab (Petrolisthes armatus)". Marine Invertebrates of Bermuda. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  5. ^ a b c Masterson, J. (2007-10-05). "Petrolisthes armatus: green porcelain crab". Species report. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Gore, R. H.; Abele, L. G. (1976). "Shallow water porcelain crabs from the Pacific coast of Panama and adjacent Caribbean waters (Crustacea, Anomura, Porcellanidae)" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 237 (237): 21. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.237.
  7. ^ a b Knott, David M.; King, Rachael A. "Petrolisthes armatus - an introduced species in the South Atlantic Bight?" (PDF). South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
  8. ^ Baeza, J. A. (2007). "The origins of symbiosis as a lifestyle in marine crabs (Genus Petrolisthes) from the eastern Pacific: does interspecific competition play a role?". Revista de Biologia Marina y Oceanografia. 42: 7–21. doi:10.4067/s0718-19572007000100002.
  9. ^ Oliveira, E.; Masunari, S. (1998). "Population relationships between the parasite Aporobopyrus curtatus (Richardson, 1904) (Isopoda: Bopyridae) and one of its porcelain crab hosts Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850) (Decapoda: Porcellanidae) from Farol Island, southern Brazil". Journal of Natural History. 32 (10–11): 1707–1717. doi:10.1080/00222939800771221.
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Petrolisthes armatus: Brief Summary

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Petrolisthes armatus, the green porcelain crab, is a species of small porcelain crab in the family Porcellanidae. It is believed to be native to Brazil but has spread to other parts of the world. Populations in the south eastern part of the United States have increased dramatically and the species is considered to be an invasive species.

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Depth range

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Shallow-waters (0-100 m)

Reference

Poupin, J. (2018). Les Crustacés décapodes des Petites Antilles: Avec de nouvelles observations pour Saint-Martin, la Guadeloupe et la Martinique. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 264 p. (Patrimoines naturels ; 77).

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Habitat

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Soft bottom (mud or sand)

Reference

Poupin, J. (2018). Les Crustacés décapodes des Petites Antilles: Avec de nouvelles observations pour Saint-Martin, la Guadeloupe et la Martinique. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 264 p. (Patrimoines naturels ; 77).

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