Species Diversity, Abundance and Distribution of Coral Crabs Family Tetraliidae Castro, Ng & Ahyong, 2004 and Trapeziidae Miers, 1886 along the Coral Reefs of Thailand

Authors

  • Puntip Wisespongpand Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University
  • Wachirah Jaingam Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University
  • Thon Thamrongnawasawat Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University

Abstract

The coral crab plays a vital role in the sustainability of hard corals by preventing them from being consumed by crown-of-thorns starfish. They feed on mucus and organic matter and remove sediment covering the corals. This helps to maintain the health of the corals and prevent bleaching. Studies on coral crabs in Thailand's coral reefs identified a total of 2 families, 3 genera, and 15 species. This included the Tetraliidae family with one genus, Tetralia, having 4 species, and the Trapeziidae family with two genera, Trapezia and Quadrella, having 7 and 4 species respectively. The most abundant found and dominant species distributed widely along both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman coast was Trapezia cymodoce. Meanwhile, Tetralia nigrolineata was the common species from Tetralia and was widely distributed along both coasts. Quadrella was less abundant and considered rare species, primarily found along the Andaman coral reefs. Notably, Quadrella boopsi might be the first reported of Thailand. The coral reefs on the Gulf of Thailand side have fewer coral crab species than the Andaman side, with 7 and 15 species respectively. Coral reefs with a diverse and abundant presence of coral crabs include Mu Ko Surin National Park, Mu Ko Similan National Park, and Ko Racha Noi. 

References

Castro, P. (1976). Brachyuran crabs symbiotic with scleractinian corals: A review of their biology.Micronesica, 12, 99-110.

Castro, P. (1978). Movements between coral colonies in Trapezia ferruginea (Crustacea: Brachyura), an obligate symbiont of scleractinian corals Mar. Biol., 46(3), 237-245.

Castro, P. (2002). New records of Trapeziid Crabs (Xanthoidae, Trapeziidae) from the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand, with notes on the taxonomic status of Trapezia plana Ward, 1914. Phuket Mar. Biol. Cent. Special Publ., 23(2), 361-367.

Castro, P., Ng., P.K.L. & Ahyong, S.T. (2004). Phylogeny and systematics of The Trapeziidae Miers,1886 (Crustacea: Brachyura) with the description of a new family. Zootaxa, 643, 1-70.

Galil, B. (1986). Quadrella (Brachyura: Xanthoidea: Trapeziidae)-Review and Revision. J. Crust. Biol.,6(2), 275-293.

Garth, J. S. (1974). Decapod crustaceans inhabiting reef-building corals of Ceylon and the Maldive Islands. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. India, 15, 195-212.

Jaingam, W. (2013). The Diversity of Crabs in Coral Reef at Mu Ko Surin National Park. Master Thesis. Bangkok : Kasetsart University. (in Thai)

Jaingam, W., Wisespongpand, P. & Thamrongnawasawat, T. (2008). Relationship between crabs and associated organisms in coral reef at Mu Ko Surin National Park. In Proceedings of 49th Kasetsart University Annual Conference. (pp. 495-502). Bangkok: Kasetsart University. (in Thai)

McKeon, C.S. & Moore, J.M. (2014). Species and size diversity in protective services offered by coral guard-crabs. PeerJ, 2, e574, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.574.

Naiyanetr, P. (2007). Check List of Crustacean Fauna in Thailand : Decapoda, Stomatopoda, Anostraca, Myodocopa and Isopoda. Bangkok: Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.

Patton, W.K. (1994). Distribution and ecology of animals associated with branching corals (Acropora spp.) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Bull. Mar. Sci., 55(1), 193-211.

Pratchett, M.S. (2001). Influence of coral symbionts on feeding preferences of crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci in the western Pacific. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 214, 111-119.

Shmuel, Y., Ziv, Y. & Rinkevich, B. (2022). Coral-inhabiting Trapezia crabs forage on demersal plankton.Front. Mar. Sci., 9, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.964725.

Stella, J.S., Munday, P.L. & Jones, G.P. (2011). Effects of coral bleaching on the obligate coral-dwelling crab Trapezia cymodoce. Coral reefs, 30(3), 719-727.

Stewart, H.L., Holbrook, S.J., Schmitt, R.J. & Brooks, A.J. (2006). Symbiotic crabs maintain coral health by clearing sediments. Coral Reefs, 25, 609-615.

Stier, A.C., Michael, A.G., McKeon, C.S., Lemer, S., Leray, M., Suzanne, C.M. & Craig, W.O. (2012). Housekeeping Mutualisms: Do More Symbionts Facilitate Host Performance? PLoS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032079.

Thamrongnawasawat, T. & Wisespongpand, P. (2007). Andaman Handbook: Thai Marine Crabs.Bangkok: Cyberprint. (in Thai)

Trautwein, S.E. (2007). Four new species of coral crabs belonging to the genus Tetralia Dana, 1851 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Tetraliidae). Zootaxa, 1450, 1-20.

Warner, G.F. (1977). The Biology of Crabs. Great Britain: Paul Elek (Scientific Books) Ltd.

Wisespongpand, P., Jaingam, W. & Poddamrong, E. (2008). Biodiversity of crab in Mu Ko Angthong Marine National Park, Surat Thani Province. In Proceedings of 46th Kasetsart University Annual Conference. (pp. 503-514). Bangkok: Kasetsart University. (in Thai)

Wisespongpand, P., Thamrongnawasawat, T., Jaingarm, W. & Poddamrong, A. (2009). The Threaten of Crab Biodiversity at Panwa Cape, Phuket Province. In Proceedings of 47th Kasetsart University Annual Conference. (pp. 533-542). Bangkok: Kasetsart University. (in Thai)

Downloads

Published

2023-10-09