Behaviour of some New Zealand sea anemones and their molluscan and crustacean hosts |
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| Authors: | Cadet Hand |
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| Institution: | 1. Bodega Marine Laboratory , P.O‐ Box 247, Bodega Bay, California, 94923, U.S.A.;2. Department of Zoology , University of California , Berkeley |
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| Abstract: | The sea anemones Calliactis conchicola Parry, 1952 and Paracalliactis rosea Hand, 1975, which live associated with gastropods, hermit crabs, and true crabs, possess mounting responses similar to those known for several species of Calliactis. In some areas of New Zealand Calliactis conchicola occurs most abundantly on living gastropods and in others on gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs. No behaviour by either the gastropod or the hermit crabs was observed which explains this differential distribution. One hermit crab stimulates Paracalliactis rosea to mount its shell by a regular tapping of the anemone with its chelae or dactyls, but ignores Calliactis conchicola. Several other hermit crabs, which may be found carrying these anemones, do not stimulate them to mount. The spider crab Leptomithrax longipes may be found in nature carrying specimens of four kinds of anemones: Calliactis conchicola, Paracalliactis rosea, Bunodactis chrysobathys, and Phellia aucklandica. This crab prises these anemones from most substrates with its chelae, cleans them with its mouth parts, and places them on its legs and carapace with its chelae. From observation, Calliactis conchicola apparently protects this crab from octopus predatiori, but not from other predators such as small sharks. Though associations of anemones with hermit crabs and other invertebrates are usually considered to be commensal, it seems likely that these associations may be mutualistic. |
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| Keywords: | sand hopper talitrid amphipod Talorchestia quoyana mermithid nematode Thaumamermis zealandica host manipulation burrowing behaviour |
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