Armases cinereum

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Armases cinereum
Armases cinereum P1010755a.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Sesarmidae
Genus: Armases
Species:
A. cinereum
Binomial name
Armases cinereum
(Bosc, 1802)

Armases cinereum, also known as the squareback marsh crab or wharf crab, is a species of crab in the family Sesarmidae. [1] The wharf crab is a small crab that is dark brown to muddy in color, which allows it to blend in with its usual surroundings. It is found on the Atlantic southeastern coast, down into the Gulf of Mexico. [2] It is an omnivore and is prevalent in marshy coastal environments along the Southwestern Atlantic. [3]

Contents

Description

The genus Armases is defined by a primarily equatorial smooth carapace, which can be either slightly wider than long or vice versa. [2] A distinct row of hair is present on the lower margin and second walking legs do not have any pubescence. [2] Armases can be distinguished from members of other genera such as Sesarma or Sarmatium by the way its carapace has laterally parallel margins on each side of its body. [2] This gives Armases cinereum its characteristic square shape and is the namesake for squareback marsh crab.

Armases cinereum, like most decapod crabs is vertically compressed with the majority of its body being composed of the carapace; the eyes are located at the top of eye stalks, the abdomen and thorax are positioned under the carapace, and there are four legs on each side of the carapace with one claw per side positioned anterior of the legs. [4] Armases is a useful species for studying trophic dynamics in coastal habitats due to their high local abundance in both saltmarsh and mangrove habitats (with a distribution ranging in elevation from subtidal to supratidal), and wide-ranging mobility that spans the mangrove/upland ecotone [5]

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is evident in the species, as males are typically slightly larger and have a more prominent palm. [2] Its size ranges from 10.0 to 18.0 mm in length for mature males and 11.0 to 17.2 mm for mature females. [2] Males have a subtriangular outline on their abdomen with a telson that is equal in width and length, while females have a subcircular outline on their abdomen with the telson being larger in width than length. [2]

Mangrove Habitat Mangrove Everglades.JPG
Mangrove Habitat
Salt Marsh Habitat Salt marsh, Newry - geograph.org.uk - 3139235.jpg
Salt Marsh Habitat

Habitat and distribution

The wharf crab has a wide distribution in temperate to tropical coastal environments. The species has an abundantly high density in the coastal areas where it is found. [6] Specimens can be found from the Chesapeake Bay area down and around coastal Florida, and west along the coast all the way to Veracruz, Mexico. [7] [2] The species is usually found in intertidal zones and can be found up to 50 m inland; they can thrive in a variety of habitats as well. [2] These habitats commonly include Spartina (marsh grass) marshes and Rhizophora (mangrove) swamps. [2] Within these habitats they prefer to live among and under rocks and debris brought in with the tides. Due to the high population density in coastal environments wharf crabs can be used as indicators of habitat conditions. [6]

Diet & ecology

While the wharf crab is often deemed a detritivore, it is highly omnivorous and will supplement a detritus diet with microscopic insects and invertebrates. [8] In mangrove habitats wharf crabs are a key component as omnivores in the food chain, they serve as carnivores, herbivores, and detritivores. [6] Some examples of what the wharf crab would eat in a Mangrove habitat include, insects, partially decomposed Avicennia (Black Mangrove), and leaves from Mangroves or other maritime vegetation. [6] When feeding on plant matter wharf crabs will prioritize softer plants over plants with a tougher exterior. [9] When both plant and animal food sources are readily available the wharf crab will choose the animal prey. [6] The diet of Armases cinereum coincides directly with the environment in which it is found and what the prominent food availability is in that environment. Consequently, this diverse diet also allows the species to live at relatively high population densities across a large margin of coastal ecosystems. [6]

Taxonomy

Armases is a genus which is a part of the family Sesarmidae and the subfamily Sesarminae of Grapsidae. [2] There are around 10 described genera within the subfamily Sesarminae. [2] Armases cinereum is one of 11 described species in the genus Armases. [1] [2] The species cinereum was originally described by Louis Bosc in 1802, and was classified under the genus Sesarma. [10] However, in 1992, the species was reclassified under the genus Armases by Lawrence Able. [2]

Reproduction and life stages

Crab reproduction occurs through a process known as spawning where eggs are released onto the abdomen of the female crab via the oviduct. [11] The spawning season for Armases cinereum is typically between March and July. [12] The species in the genus Armases are known as ovigerous, meaning they carry their eggs while they undergo embryonic development. [11] [13] Armases cinereum produce between 2,000 and 12,000 eggs in a brood. [14] This number is dependent on fecundity which is proportional to the size of the female producing the eggs. [11] Additionally fecundity represents the energy investment an individual must make to produce a brood of eggs. [14] Eggs are energetically expensive to produce and being ovigerous in nature adds to the energy expenditure. When these eggs hatch larva called zoea emerge. [11] Zoea are planktonic crab larvae with their trait characteristic being a large spine positioned dorsally. [11] Crab zoea will grow and molt several times before they move into their next life stage called the megalopa stage. [11] In this stage the eyes become positioned on eyestalks, a carapace is formed, and the abdomen becomes positioned outward from the carapace posteriorly. [11] The next time the crab molts it will become a juvenile version of its adult form and its larval life stages will be complete. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab</span> Infraorder of decapod crustaceans

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the world's oceans, in freshwater, and on land, are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and have a single pair of pincers. They first appeared during the Jurassic Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangrove crab</span> Crabs that live on or among mangroves

Mangrove crabs are crabs that live in and around mangroves. They belong to many different species and families and have been shown to be ecologically significant by burying and consuming leaf litter. Mangrove crabs have a variety of phylogenies because mangrove crab is an umbrella term that encompasses many species of crabs. Two of the most common families are sesarmid and fiddler crabs. They are omnivorous and are predated on by a variety of mammals and fish. They are distributed widely throughout the globe on coasts where mangroves are located. Mangrove crabs have wide variety of ecological and biogeochemical impacts due to the biofilms that live in symbiosis with them as well as their burrowing habits. Like many other crustaceans, they are also a human food source and have been impacted by humans as well as climate change.

<i>Hemigrapsus sexdentatus</i> Species of crab

Hemigrapsus sexdentatus, also called the “common rock crab” or “common shore crab,” is a marine crab indigenous to the southern shores of New Zealand. This crab is a member of the Varunidae family in the order Decapoda.

<i>Leptograpsus</i> Genus of crabs

Leptograpsus variegatus, known as the purple rock crab, is a marine large-eyed crab of the family Grapsidae, found in southern subtropical Indo-Pacific Oceans. It grows to around 50 millimetres (2.0 in) shell width. It is the only species in the genus Leptograpsus.

<i>Hemigrapsus sanguineus</i> Species of crab

Hemigrapsus sanguineus, the Japanese shore crab or Asian shore crab, is a species of crab from East Asia. It has been introduced to several other regions, and is now an invasive species in North America and Europe. It was introduced to these regions by ships from Asia emptying their ballast tanks in coastal waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sesarmidae</span> Family of crabs

The Sesarmidae are a family of crabs, previously included in the Grapsidae by many authors. Several species, namely in Geosesarma, Metopaulias, and Sesarma, are true terrestrial crabs. They do not need to return to the sea even for breeding.

<i>Sesarma</i> Genus of crabs

Sesarma is a genus of terrestrial crabs endemic to the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latreilliidae</span> Family of crabs

Latreilliidae is a small family of crabs. They are relatively small, long-legged crabs found on soft bottoms at depths of up 700 metres (2,300 ft) in mostly tropical and subtemperate waters around the world. Their carapace is very small and doesn’t cover the bases of their legs, which protrude from the cephalothorax in a spider-like manner. The family and its type genus are named after Pierre André Latreille. The oldest known fossils from the Latreillidae have been dated to the middle of the Cretaceous period. It comprises seven extant species.

<i>Minuca pugnax</i> Species of crab

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crustacean larva</span> Crustacean larval and immature stages between hatching and adult form

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<i>Karstarma</i> Genus of crabs

Karstarma is a genus of karst-dwelling crabs formerly included in Sesarmoides.

<i>Albunea carabus</i> Species of crustacean

Albunea carabus is a rare species of "sand crab" or "mole crab" in the genus Albunea. It lives in shallow, turbulent waters in sandy areas of the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Parasesarma leptosoma</i> Species of crab

Parasesarma leptosoma, also known as the arboreal crab, is an arboreal, leaf-eating mangrove crab, from East and South Africa where it is found on Rhizophora mucronata and Bruguiera gymnorhiza, but not on Avicennia marina. It occupies an ecological niche similar to that of another sesarmid, Aratus pisonii, from the Americas.

<i>Geosesarma dennerle</i> Species of crab

Geosesarma dennerle is a species of small land-living crabs found on Java, Indonesia.

The Red-claw mangrove crab is a crab species in the genus Parasesarma and the family Sesarmidae. It is distributed in coastal brackish water habitats of the western Indian Ocean.

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<i>Haberma tingkok</i> Species of crustacean

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<i>Armases</i> Genus of crabs

Armases is a genus of true crabs in the family Sesarmidae. There are about 13 described species in Armases.

<i>Parasesarma messa</i> Species of crab

Parasesarma messa, commonly known as the maroon mangrove crab, is a species of burrowing crab found in Queensland, Australia. It lives in mangroves in estuaries and sheltered bays. It was originally described as Sesarma messa, but was placed in the genus Parasesarma in 2017. Perisesarma messa is also a synonym.

References

  1. 1 2 "ITIS - Report: Armases cinereum". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Abele, Lawrence G. (1992). "A review of the Grapsid crab genus Sesarma (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) in America, with the description of a new genus". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology (527): 1–60. doi: 10.5479/si.00810282.527 . ISSN   0081-0282.
  3. ↑ Buck, Tracy L.; Breed, Greg A.; Pennings, Steven C.; Chase, Margo E.; Zimmer, Martin; Carefoot, Thomas H. (2003-07-29). "Diet choice in an omnivorous salt-marsh crab: different food types, body size, and habitat complexity". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 292 (1): 103–116. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(03)00146-1. ISSN   0022-0981.
  4. ↑ Abbas, Eman M.; Abdelsalam, Khaled M.; Mohammed-Geba, Khaled; Ahmed, Hamdy O.; Kato, Mikio (2016-09-01). "Genetic and morphological identification of some crabs from the Gulf of Suez, Northern Red Sea, Egypt". The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research. 42 (3): 319–329. doi: 10.1016/j.ejar.2016.08.003 . ISSN   1687-4285.
  5. ↑ Kiskaddon, Erin Paige (2016). Feeding Patterns and Trophic Food Web Dynamics of Armases cinereum Across a Mangrove/Upland Ecotone. USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations (M.S.).
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kiskaddon, Erin; Chernicky, Kiley; Bell, Susan (2019-02-15). "Resource use by and trophic variability of Armases cinereum (Crustacea, Brachyura) across human-impacted mangrove transition zones". PLOS ONE. 14 (2): e0212448. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1412448K. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212448 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   6377144 . PMID   30768634.
  7. ↑ Williams, Austin B. (1984). "Shrimps, Lobsters, and crabs of the Atlantic Coast of the Eastern United States, Maine to Florida". Estuaries. 8 (1): 77. doi:10.2307/1352125. ISSN   0160-8347. JSTOR   1352125. S2CID   83630574.
  8. ↑ Zimmer, Martin; Pennings, Steven C.; Buck, Tracy L.; Carefoot, Thomas H. (2004-10-01). "Salt marsh litter and detritivores: A closer look at redundancy". Estuaries. 27 (5): 753–769. doi:10.1007/BF02912038. ISSN   0160-8347. S2CID   10318266.
  9. ↑ Pennings, Steven C.; Carefoot, Thomas H.; Siska, Erin L.; Chase, Margo E.; Page, Teresa A. (September 1998). "Feeding Preferences of a Generalist Salt-Marsh crab: Relative Importance of Multiple Plant Traits". Ecology. 79 (6): 1968–1979. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[1968:FPOAGS]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0012-9658.
  10. ↑ Bosc, Louis Augustin Guillaume (1828). Histoire naturelle des crustacés, contenant leur description et leurs moeurs: avec figures dessinées d'après nature (in French). Roret, Libraire, Rue Hautefeuille.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 WEIS, JUDITH S. (2012). Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of crabs (1st ed.). Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0-8014-5050-1. JSTOR   10.7591/j.cttn34xc.
  12. ↑ Hasek, B. E.; Felder, D. L. (March 2005). "Biochemical composition of ovary, embryo, and hepatopancreas in the grapsoid crabs Armases cinereum and Sesarma nr. reticulatum (Crustacea, Decapoda)". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 140 (3): 455–463. doi:10.1016/j.cbpc.2004.11.010. ISSN   1096-4959. PMID   15694594.
  13. ↑ Cuesta, José A.; Anger, Klaus (2001). "Larval Morphology of the Sesarmid crab Armases angustipes Dana, 1852 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Grapsoidea)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 21 (3): 821–838. doi: 10.1163/20021975-99990175 . ISSN   0278-0372. JSTOR   1549582.
  14. 1 2 Figueiredo, Joana; Penha-Lopes, Gil; Anto, Justin; Narciso, Luís; Lin, Junda (April 2008). "Fecundity, brood loss and egg development through embryogenesis of Armases cinereum (Decapoda: Grapsidae)". Marine Biology. 154 (2): 287–294. doi:10.1007/s00227-008-0922-2. ISSN   1432-1793. S2CID   55307816.
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