Morphological diversity of setae and chela in accordance to habitat within crabs of genus Macrophthalmus (Decapoda, Brachyura, Macrophthalmidae) from intertidal flats of Pakistan
Sentinel crabs of genus Macrophthalmus are deposit feeders inhabiting sandy muddy substrate. The diversity and distribution of these crabs depend upon physical, biological and environmental factors including tidal exposure, larval recruitment, salinity, pH, organic matters, air and water temperature, nutrient availability and sediment structure in which they survive. These species showed various morphological adaptations to cope with their environment and to extract food from their surroundings. Current study aimed to study structural variation in 2nd maxilliped and chela and correlate it with their habitat. The substrate structure appears as one of the most important controlling factor in the distribution of sentinel crabs. These crabs utilize their spatulate chela to gather the soft mud and sandy substrate for extraction of organic matter and specialized setae on their mouth appendages to manipulate sediment particles and to extract food from it. Current study describes the setae of the second maxillipeds within the five Macrophthalmid spp. known from the Pakistan coast by using scanning electron microscopy. In all the studied crab species plumose setae is present on meropodite, ischium and exopod flagellum, whereas spoon tipped setae are restricted to the palp region. Structural variations in these spoons tipped setae have also been reported during the present study. Comparatively, more spoon-tipped setae were present in M. sulcatus, a sand dwelling species than mud dwelling forms, provides evidence that the crabs from sandy habitats possess more spoon-tipped setae (an adaptation for processing sandy sediments) than those living in muddy habitats.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | Biology, Morphological diversity, Macrophthalmus, 2nd maxilliped, scanning electron microscopy, meropodite, spoon-tipped setae., |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/40805 |
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| Summary: | Sentinel crabs of genus Macrophthalmus are deposit feeders inhabiting sandy muddy substrate. The diversity and distribution of these crabs depend upon physical, biological and environmental factors including tidal exposure, larval recruitment, salinity, pH, organic matters, air and water temperature, nutrient availability and sediment structure in which they survive. These species showed various morphological adaptations to cope with their environment and to extract food from their surroundings. Current study aimed to study structural variation in 2nd maxilliped and chela and correlate it with their habitat. The substrate structure appears as one of the most important controlling factor in the distribution of sentinel crabs. These crabs utilize their spatulate chela to gather the soft mud and sandy substrate for extraction of organic matter and specialized setae on their mouth appendages to manipulate sediment particles and to extract food from it. Current study describes the setae of the second maxillipeds within the five Macrophthalmid spp. known from the Pakistan coast by using scanning electron microscopy. In all the studied crab species plumose setae is present on meropodite, ischium and exopod flagellum, whereas spoon tipped setae are restricted to the palp region. Structural variations in these spoons tipped setae have also been reported during the present study. Comparatively, more spoon-tipped setae were present in M. sulcatus, a sand dwelling species than mud dwelling forms, provides evidence that the crabs from sandy habitats possess more spoon-tipped setae (an adaptation for processing sandy sediments) than those living in muddy habitats. |
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