Microhabitat-specific distribution of Octolasmis hoeki (Poecilasmatidae) on Maguimithraxspinosissimus (Mithracidae) in the southwestern Colombian Caribbean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25268/bimc.invemar.2026.55.2.1415Keywords:
stalked barnacle, Caribbean king crab, epibiosis, host microhabitats, Colombian CaribbeanAbstract
Species of the genus Octolasmis are sessile barnacles capable of colonizing the exoskeleton and internal structures of arthropods, including the spider crab Maguimithrax spinosissimus, an ecologically
and socioeconomically important species in the Colombian Caribbean. Given the lack of knowledge
regarding their distribution within this host, this study evaluated the abundance and localization of O.
hoeki on the exoskeleton and within the branchial chambers of 20 adult specimens across three insular
ecosystems in the region. Morphological identification was complemented by taxonomic analysis. Using
host identity as a blocking factor, epibiont abundance among microhabitats was compared using the
Friedman test followed by Wilcoxon post hoc comparisons. O. hoeki inhabited all sampled microhabitats, with a significantly higher abundance in the branchial chambers than on external body surfaces (p < 0.05). Positive associations were observed between barnacle abundance and host morphometrics (weight
and size), although these require caution due to the limited sample size. The widespread colonization
demonstrates the high capacity of O. hoeki to extensively occupy the host. Although the elevated branchial abundance could have physiological implications, the data does not allow for the classification of this relationship as either parasitic or commensal. Therefore, it is treated here as an epibiotic symbiotic association whose functional consequences require further investigation.
References
Abelló, P. and Macpherson, E. (1992). Epibiosis and rhizocephalan infestation patterns in relation to the reproductive biology of Lithodes ferox (Filhol, 1885) (Anomura: Lithodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 12(4), pp.561–570. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/193724092X00049
Baeza, J.A., Holstein, D. Umaña-Castro, R. and Mejía-Ortíz, L.M. (2019). Population genetics and biophysical modeling inform metapopulation connectivity of the Caribbean king crab Maguimithrax spinosissimus. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 610, pp. 83–97. doi:https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12842
Bauer, R.T. (2002). The ineffectiveness of grooming in prevention of body fouling in the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. Aquaculture, 208(1–2), pp.39–49. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0044-8486(01)00794-3
Bermúdez, A., Campos, N.H. y Navas-S, G.R. (2002). Crustáceos. En: N. Ardila, G.R. Navas y J. Reyes (Eds). Libro rojo de los invertebrados marinos de Colombia, Serie Libros Rojos de Especies Amenazadas de Colombia, Bogotá, pp.101–122. https://www.invemar.org.co/redcostera1/invemar/docs/lrojo/LR_INVERTEBRADOS.pdf
Butler, M.J. and Mojica, A.M. (2012). Herbivory by the Caribbean king crab on coral patch reefs. Marine Biology, 159, pp.2697–2706. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2027-1
Campos, N.H. y Barrera, J. (2019). Maguimithrax spinosissimus: una especie amenazada. En: N.H. Campos y A. Acero (Eds). Ciencias del mar: una mirada desde la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Santa Marta: Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Sede Caribe), Instituto de Estudios en Ciencias del Mar (Cecimar), pp. 220. https://portaldelibros.unal.edu.co/gpd-ciencias-del-mar-una-mirada-desde-la-universidad-nacional-de-colombia-9789587839111.html
Campos, N.H., Lagos, A.M. Bermúdez, A. y Márquez, E.J. (2015). Estructura de la población del cangrejo rey Damithrax spinosissimus en el Caribe colombiano. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 39(153), pp.491–502. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.261
Cendales, M.H., Zea, S.E. y Díaz, J.M. (2002). Geomorfología y unidades ecológicas del complejo de arrecifes de las islas del Rosario e isla Barú (mar Caribe, Colombia). Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 26(101), pp.497–510. doi: https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.26(101).2002.2693
Chan, B.K.K., Prabowo, R.E. and Lee, K.-S. (2009). Crustacean fauna of Taiwan: Barnacles, Volume 1– Cirripedia: Thoracica excluding the Pyrgomatidae and Acastinae. National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, pp. 298. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249316021_CRUSTACEAN_FAUNA_OF_TAIWAN_BARNACLES_VOLUME_I_-_CIRRIPEDIA_THORACICA_EXCLUDING_THE_PYRGOMATIDAE_AND_ACASTINAE
Chan, B.K.K., Dreyer, N., Gale, A.S., Glenner, H., Ewers-Saucedo, C., Pérez-Losada, M., Kolbasov, G.A., Crandall, K.A. and Høeg, J.T. (2021). The evolutionary diversity of barnacles, with an updated classification of fossil and living forms. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 193, pp.789–846. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa160
Chasqui V., L., Alvarado-Chacón, E.M., Ardila, N., Borrero-Pérez, G.H., Campos, N.H. y Mejía-Quintero, K. (Eds.). 2022. Libro rojo de invertebrados marinos de Colombia. Serie Publicaciones Generales Invemar No. 122. Santa Marta, Invemar pp. 388. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366481398_Libro_Rojo_de_Invertebrados_Marinos_de_Colombia_2022
Connell, J.H. and Keough, M.J. (1985). Chapter 8 - Disturbance and patch dynamics of subtidal marine animals on hard substrata:. In: S.T.A. Pickett and P.S. White (Eds.), The ecology of natural disturbance and patch dynamics, Santa Barbara, California: Academic Press. pp. 125-151. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-050495-7.50013-2
Costa, T.M., Christofoletti, R.A. and Pinheiro, M.A.A. (2010). Epibionts on Arenaeus cribrarius (Brachyura: Portunidae) from Brazil. Zoologia (Curitiba), 27(3), pp.387–394. https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702010000300010
Creswell, R.L. (2011). The cultivation of marine invertebrates indigenous to the wider Caribbean region: established culture techniques and research needs for crustaceans. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Proceedings, 19, pp. 105–117. https://www.fao.org/4/i2179e/i2179e.pdf#page=121
Creswell, R.L., Tunberg, B.G. and Winfree, R.A. (1989) Mariculture of the Caribbean king crab, Mithrax spinosissimus (Lamarck), in the Caribbean region: progress and constraints. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, 39, pp. 469–-476. https://proceedings.gcfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/gcfi_39-49.pdf
Dang, B.T., Tran, S.Q., Truong, O.T., Le, O.T.K. and Vu, Q.D.H. (2022). Species diversity and molecular taxonomy of symbiotic crustaceans on Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Vietnam, with remarks on host records and morphological variation. Nauplius, 30: e2022027. https://www.scielo.br/j/nau/a/6ysMXzRNhrSFzfyWPVKfXQf/?format=pdf&lang=n
Darwin, C. (1851). A monograph on the sub-class Cirripedia with figures of all the species. The Lepadidæ or pedunculated cirripedes. London: Ray Society, pp. 410. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/2104
Díaz, J.M., Barrios, L.M. , Cendales, M.H., Garzón-Ferreira, J., Geister, J., López-Victoria, M., Ospina, G.H., Parra-Velandia, F., Pinzón, J., Vargas-Ángel, B. y Zapata, F.A. (2000). Áreas coralinas de Colombia. Santa Marta: Invemar, 5, pp. 176. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sven-Zea/publication/233761050_Areas_Coralinas_de_Colombia/links/09e41513277af44bed000000/Areas-Coralinas-de-Colombia.pdf
Dick, M.H., Donaldson, W.E. and Vining, I.W. (1998). Epibionts of the tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi in the region of Kodiak Island, Alaska. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 18(3), pp.519–527. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/193724098X00340
Dumbauld, B.R., Chapman, J.W., Torchin, M.E. and Kuris, A.M. (2011). Is the collapse of mud shrimp (Upogebia pugettensis) populations along the Pacific coast of North America caused by outbreaks of a previously unknown bopyrid isopod parasite (Orthione griffenis)? Estuaries and Coasts, 34(2), pp.336–350. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9316-z
Fernández-Leborans, G. (2010). Epibiosis in Crustacea: An overview. Crustaceana, 83(5), pp. 549–640. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249581109_Epibiosis_in_Crustacea_An_overview
Gannon, A.T. and Wheatly, M.G. (1992). Physiological effects of an ectocommensal gill barnacle, Octolasmis muelleri, on gas exchange in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 12, pp.11–18. https://doi.org/10.2307/1548714
Geister, J. (1992). Modern reef development and Cenozoic evolution of an oceanic island/reef complex: Isla de Providencia (Western Caribbean Sea, Colombia). Facies, 27, pp.1–69. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536804
Hurtado-Alarcón, J.C., Campos, N.H., Bermúdez, A. and Márquez, E.J. (2018). Phylogeographic patterns in Maguimithrax spinosissimus (Decapoda: Mithracidae) from Colombian Caribbean. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 52(1), pp.118–137. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.2017.1353528
Ihwan, M.Z., Ikhwanuddin, M. and Marina, H. (2015). Morphological distribution of pedunculate barnacle Octolasmis cor (Aurivillius, 1892) found on gill of wild mud crab (Genus: Scylla) from Terengganu coastal waters, Malaysia. Research Journal of Parasitology, 10, pp.25–30. doi: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jp.2015.25.30
Jeffries, W.B. and Voris, H.K. (1979). Observations on the relationship between Octolasmis grayii (Darwin, 1851) (Cirripedia, Thoracica) and certain marine snakes (Hydrophiidae). Crustaceana, 37(2), pp.123–132. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/156854079X00951
Jeffries, W.B. and Voris, H.K. (1996). A subject-indexed bibliography of the symbiotic barnacles of the genus Octolasmis Gray, 1825 (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Poecilasmatidae). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 44(2), pp.575–592. https://www.science.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/1996/10/44rbz575-592.pdf
Jeffries, W.B. and Voris, H.K. (2004). Crustacean hosts of the pedunculate barnacle genus Octolasmis in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico Science, 22(2), pp.173–188. doi: https://doi.org/10.18785/goms.2202.05
Jeffries W.B., Voris, H.K. and Yang, C.M. (1982). Diversity and distribution of the pedunculate barnacle Octolasmis in the seas adjacent to Singapore. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2(4), pp.562–569. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/1548096
Jeffries W.B., Voris, H.K. and Yang, C.M. (1984). Diversity and distribution of the pedunculate barnacle Octolasmis Gray, 1825, epizoic on the scyllarid lobster, Thenus orientalis (Lund, 1793). Crustaceana, 46(3), pp.300–308. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/156854084X00225
Jeffries W.B., Voris, H.K. and Yang, C.M. (1989). A new mechanism of host colonization: pedunculate barnacles of the genus Octolasmis on the mangrove crab Scylla serrata. Ophelia, 31(1), pp.51–58. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00785326.1989.10430850
Key Jr, M.M., Jeffries, W.B., Voris, H.K. and Yang, C.M. (1996). Epizoic bryozoans, horseshoe crabs, and other mobile benthic substrates. Bulletin of Marine Science, 58(2), pp.368–384. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/umrsmas/bullmar/1996/00000058/00000002/art00004
Kolbasov, G.A., Elfimov, A.S. and Høeg, J.T. (2013). External morphology of barnacle cypris larvae in the family Poecilasmatidae (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Pedunculata): Toward a template for scoring cypris characters. Zoologischer Anzeiger. 252(4): pp.522–535. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2012.11.008
Kumaravel, K., Ravichandran, S. and Rameshkumar, G. (2009). Distribution of barnacle Octolasmis on the gill region of some edible crabs. Academic Journal of Entomology, 2(1), pp.36–39. https://www.idosi.org/aje/2(1)09/7.pdf
Li, H.-X., Yang, C.-P.,. Ma, L.-S, Li, L., Yu, X.-J and Yan, Y. (2015). Colonization of Octolasmis (Cirripedia) on the crab Portunus sanguinolentus (Brachyura: Portunidae): impacts of the parasitism of Diplothylacus sinensis (Cirripedia: Rhizocephala). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 35(2), pp.159–165. doi: doi:https://doi.org/10.1163/1937240X-00002311
Maar, K., Shavit, U., Andersen, A. and Kiørboe, T. (2024). The fluid dynamics of barnacle feeding. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227 (5), jeb246541. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.246541
Machado, G.B.deO., Sanches, F.H.C., Fortuna, M.D. and Costa, T.M. (2013). Epibiosis in decapod crustaceans by stalked barnacle Octolasmis lowei (Cirripedia: Poecilasmatidae). Zoologia (Curitiba), 30(3), pp.307–311. https://www.scielo.br/j/zool/a/qS6R9gjSzj76vJ4hvbP6nVq/?format=pdf&lang=en
Manco-Jaraba, D.C., Ríos, C.A. and Castellanos, O.M. (2023). Geotourism potential and challenges in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina (Colombia). Turismo y Sociedad, 34, pp.67–110. doi: https://doi.org/10.18601/01207555.n34.03
Márquez, E.J., Hurtado-Alarcón, J.C., Isaza, J.P., Alzate, J.F. and Campos, N.H. (2016). Mitochondrial genome of the Caribbean king crab Damithrax spinosissimus (Lamarck, 1818) (Decapoda: Majidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 27(3), pp.1724–1725. doi: https://doi.org/10.3109/19401736.2014.961140
Martin, J.W. and Davis, G.E. (2001). An updated classification of the recent Crustacea. Natural History Museum of L.A. County Science Series, 39, pp.1–124. https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/121258.pdf&embedded=true
Martínez-Campos, B., Campos, N.H. Bermúdez, A. and Márquez, E.J. (2016). Morfogeometría del caparazón del cangrejo Damithrax spinosissimus (Decapoda: Mithracidae) en tres islas del Caribe suroccidental. Revista de Biología Tropical, 64(2), pp.667–681. doi: https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v64i2.19108
Mushtaq, S. and Mustaquim, J.M. 2009. The occurrence and distribution of stalked barnacles of the genus Octolasmis on the gills of mud or mangrove crab, genus Scylla. Crustaceana, 82(1), pp. 53–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27743253
Nilsson-Cantell, C.A. (1928). I.—Studies on cirripeds in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 2(7), pp.1–39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222932808672845
Pilsbry, H. (1911). Remarks on new cirripedes. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 63(1), pp.170–173. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4063371
Rasheed, S. and J. Mustaquim (2017). Occurrence of pedunculate barnacles of the symbiotic genus Octolasmis (Cirripedia: Crustacea) in two species of edible crabs. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 49(5), pp.1879–1888. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/2017.49.5.1879.1888
Rathbun, M.J. (1925). The spider crabs of America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 129, pp.1–613. https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/10179
Rog, K.L. (2025). The effects of varying temperatures and food availability on the reproductive output of the acorn barnacle: Chthamalus fissus. McNair Summer Research Program, 22. https://digital.sandiego.edu/mcnair-summer/22
Schejter, L. and Spivak, E. (2005). Morphometry, sexual maturity, fecundity and epibiosis of the South American spider crab Libidoclaea granaria (Brachyura: Majoidea). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 85(4), pp. 857–863. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231822263_Morphometry_sexual_maturity_fecundity_and_epibiosis_of_the_South_American_spider_crab_Libidoclaea_granaria_Brachyura_Majoidea
Shields, J.D. (1992). Parasites and symbionts of the crab Portunus pelagicus from Moreton Bay, Eastern Australia. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 12(1), pp.94–100. https://www.vims.edu/research/units/programs/crustacean/research/hematodinium/literature/pdf%20files%202/Shields%201992.pdf
Stebbing, T.R.R. (1895). IV.—Notes on Crustacea. Journal of Natural History, 15(85), pp.18–25. https://ia803402.us.archive.org/10/items/biostor-60096/biostor-60096.pdf
Stubbings, H.G. (1967). The cirriped fauna of tropical West Africa. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology, 16(5), pp.227–319. doi: https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.27518
Teswaran, K.V. and Fernando, S.A. (1982). Distribution and variation in form of the epizoic cirriped Octolasmis cor (Aurivillius, 1893). Indian Journal of Marine Sciences, 11, pp.217–246. https://nopr.niscpr.res.in/bitstream/123456789/38966/1/IJMS%2011%283%29%20243-246.pdf
Torchin, M.E., Lafferty, K.D. and Kuris, K.D. (2001). Release from parasites as natural enemies: increased performance of a globally introduced marine crab. Biological Invasions, 3(4), pp.333–345. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015855019360
Voris, H.K. and Jeffries, W.B. (1997). Size, distribution, and significance of capitular plates in Octolasmis (Cirripedia: Poecilasmatidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 17(2), pp.217–226. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274417019_Size_Distribution_and_Significance_of_Capitular_Plates_in_Octolasmis_Cirripedia_Poecilasmatidae
Voris, H.K., Jeffries, W.B. and Poovachiranon, S. (1994). Patterns of distribution of two barnacle species on the mangrove crab, Scylla serrata. The Biological Bulletin, 187(3), pp.346–354. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/25361
Voris, H.K., Jeffries, W.B. and Poovachiranon, S. (2000). Size and location relationships of stalked barnacles of the genus Octolasmis on the mangrove crab Scylla serrata. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 20(3), pp.483–494. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1549389
Walker, G. (2001). Some observations on the epizoic barnacle Octolasmis angulata within the branchial chambers of an Australian swimming crab. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 21(2), pp.450–455. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1549798
Williams, A.B. (1984). Shrimps, lobsters and crabs of the Atlantic coast of the Eastern United States, Maine to Florida. Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 550. https://decapoda.nhm.org/pdfs/11393/11393-001.pdf
Young, P.S. (1990). Lepadomorph cirripeds from the Brazilian coast. I.—Families Lepadidae, Poecilasmatidae and Heteralepadidae. Bulletin of Marine Science, 47(3), pp.641–655. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/umrsmas/bullmar/1990/00000047/00000003/art00006
Yuan, T.P., Yang, C.P., Li, H.X., Li, L., Wang, H., Xu, J. and Yan Y. (2016). Infestation by Octolasmis bullata (Aurivillius, 1894) (Cirripedia, Thoracica) of Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783) (Brachyura, Portunidae), and possible interactions with Diplothylacus sinensis (Keppen, 1877) (Cirripedia, Rhizocephala). Crustaceana, 89(8), pp.851–861. doi:https://doi.org/10.1163/15685403-00003561
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Julio César Hurtado-Alarcón, Álvaro José Rodríguez-García, Gabriel Rodolfo Navas-Suárez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
