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Mobile habitats for the unseen passengers: the brachyuran crabs on the loggerhead sea turtles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2025

Ryota Hayashi*
Affiliation:
Research & Development Center, Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., Ibaraki, Japan
Naoya Ohtsuchi
Affiliation:
Otsuchi Coastal Research Center, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Otsuchi, Iwate, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Ryota Hayashi; Email: bubobubo32@gmail.com

Abstract

We report on four brachyuran crabs collected from the carapaces of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta nesting on Yakushima Island in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan. Three of these crab species have not been previously reported as epibionts on sea turtles. Our research suggests that physical damage to a turtle's carapace, such as cracks and holes created by other epibionts like the burrowing barnacle Tubicinella cheloniae, can create unique habitats for these opportunistic crabs.

Information

Type
Marine Record
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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