Natural diet of Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Northern Coast of São Paulo, Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2019.59.57

Keywords:

Ghost crab, Natural diet, Ocypodidae, Seasonality, Trophic ecology

Abstract

Decapod crustaceans have a wide variety of feeding habits, alternating among herbivory, predation, saprophagy, and filtration. The occupation of various trophic positions in the food web is a key feature in the evolution of the group. Thus, we analyzed the natural diet of the crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787), commonly known as the ghost crab and typically found on sandy beaches. The crabs were collected in the region of Ubatuba, between July 2016 and May 2017. The individuals were dissected in a laboratory, and each stomach was weighed and visually assessed in relation to the degree of repletion. After identification and classification, the items found were grouped for the analysis. In analyzing the stomach contents of Ocypode quadrata, 12 items were found: sand, Insecta, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Crustacea, and other unidentified Arthropoda. We also found poriferans, Actnopterygii bones, plant pieces, non-organic material (plastic), and other non-identified materials. In the statistical analyzes, we observed seasonal differences in the composition of the diet, mostly related to the frequency of items consumed between dry and rainy seasons; the rainy season provided a greater diversity of items. Due to the great trophic spectrum of this species and tendency to feed on a wide range of items, O. quadrata is considered a generalist species, adapting according to the availability of prey in the wild.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Tassia Turini Gomes, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Zoologia - Botucatu, SP, Brasil.

    Rua Professor Doutor Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin, 250, Distrito de Rubião Júnior, CEP 18618‑689, Botucatu, SP, Brasil.

  • Carla Gheler-Costa, Ecologia Aplicada, Consultoria Ambiental - Bauru, SP, Brasil.

    Alameda dos Urutaus, s/nº, Vale do Igapó, CEP 17037‑170, Bauru, SP, Brasil.

  • Caroline Anacleto Rinaldi, Universidade do Sagrado Coração (UNISAGRADO), Laboratório de Sistemática Zoológica (LSZ) - Bauru, SP, Brasil.

    Rua Irmã Arminda, 10‑50, Jardim Brasil, CEP 17011‑160, Bauru, SP, Brasil.

  • William Santana, Universidade do Sagrado Coração (UNISAGRADO), Laboratório de Sistemática Zoológica (LSZ) - Bauru, SP, Brasil.

    Rua Irmã Arminda, 10‑50, Jardim Brasil, CEP 17011‑160, Bauru, SP, Brasil.

References

Ackerman, B.B. 1984. Cougar food habits in southern Utah. Journal of Wildlife Management, 48(1): 147‑155.

Branco, J.O. & Verani, J.R. 1997. Dinâmica da alimentação natural de Callinectes danae Smith (Decapoda, Portunidae) na Lagoa da Conceição. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 14: 1003‑1018.

Branco, J.O.; Hillesheim, J.C.; Fracasso, H.A.A.; Christoffersen, M.L. & Evangelista, C.L. 2010. Bioecology of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea: Brachyura) compared with other intertidal crabs in the southwestern Atlantic. Journal of Shell Fish Research, 29(2): 503‑512.

Browne, M.; Dissanayake, A.; Galloway, T.; Lowe, D. & Thompson, R. 2008. Ingested microscopic plastic translocates to the circulatory system of the mussel, Mytilus edulis. Environmental Science Technology, 42: 5026‑5031.

Carew, L.B.; Hopkins D.T. & Nesheim M.C. 1964. Influence of amount and type of fat on metabolic efficiency of energy utilization by the chick. Journal of Nutrition, 83: 300‑306.

Chatterjee, S. & Shivika, S. 2019. Microplastics in our oceans and marine health. Field Actions Science Reports – The Journal of Field Actions, 19: 54‑61.

Cowen, K.R. 1986. Site-specific differences in the feeding ecology of the California sheephead, Semicossyphus pulcher (Labridae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 16: 193‑203.

Fales, R.R. 1976. Apparent predation on the mole crab Emerita talpoida (Say) by the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius). Chesapeake Science, 17: 1‑65.

Gondolo, G.F.; Mattox, G.M.T. & Cunningham, P.T.M. 2011. Aspectos ecológicos da ictiofauna da zona de arrebentação da praia de Itamambuca, Ubatuba. Biota Neotropica, 11(2): 184‑192. Available at: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bn/v11n2/19.pdf.

Griffen, B.D.; Guy, T. & Buck, J.C. 2008. Inhibition between invasives: a newly introduced predator moderates the impacts of a previously established invasive predator. Journal of Animal Ecology, 77: 32‑40.

Haefner, P.A. 1990. Natural diet of Callinectes ornatus (Brachyura: Portunidae) in Bermuda. Journal Crustacean Biology, 10(2): 236‑246.

Hemmi, J.M. 2004. Predator avoidance in fiddler crabs: II. The visual cues. Animal Behavior, 69: 615‑625.

Hillesheim, J.M. 2005. Bioecologia do caranguejo maria-farinha Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787), na região da praia brava, Itajaí, SC, Brasil. (Trabalho de conclusão de curso). Universidade do Vale do Itajaí.

Kapusta, S.C. & Bemvenuti, C.E. 1998. Atividade nictemeral de alimentação de juvenis de Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1895 (Decapoda: Portunidae) numa pradaria de Ruppia maritima L. e num plano não vegetado, numa enseada estuarina da Lagoa dos Patos, R.S., Brasil. Nauplius, 6: 41‑52.

Kitaysky, A.S.; Kitaiskaia, E.V.; Piatt, J.F. & Wingfiel, J.C. 2006. A mechanistic link between chick diet and decline in seabirds. Proceedings of Royal Society Biological, B, 273: 445‑450. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2005.3351.

Krebs, C.J. 1989. Ecological Methodology. New York, Harper & Row. 654p.

Mantelatto, F.L. & Petracco, M. 1997. Natural diet of the crab Hepatus pudibundus (Brachyura: Calappidae) in Fortaleza Bay, Ubatuba (SP), Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 17(3): 440‑446.

Mclaughlin, P.A. & Hebard, J.F. 1961. Stomach contents of the Bering Sea king crab. International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, 5: 5‑8.

Nakagaki, M.J. & Pinheiro, A.A.M. 1999. Biologia populacional de Emerita brasiliensis Schmitt (Crustacea, Hippidae) na Praia Vermelha do Norte, Ubatuba (São Paulo, Brasil). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 16(2): 83‑90.

Paul, R.K.G. 1981. Natural diet, feeding and predatory activity of the crabs Callinectes arcuatus and C. toxotes (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae). Marine Ecology Progress Series, 6: 91‑99.

Phillips, A.M. 1940. The ghost crab: adventures investigating the life of a curious and interesting creature that lives on our doorstep, the only large crustacean of our North Atlantic Coast that passes a good part of its life on land. Journal of Natural History, 46: 36‑41.

Rosalino, L.M.; Loureiro, F.; Macdonald, D.W. & Santon-Reis, M. 2005. Dietary shifts of the badger (Meles meles) in Mediterranean woodlands: an opportunistic forager with seasonal specialisms. Mammalian Biology, 70(1): 12‑23.

Savoca, M.S.; Tyson, C.W.; Mcgill, M. & Slager, C.J. 2017. Odours from marine plastic debris induce food search behaviours in a forage fish. Proceedings Royal Society of Biological Sciences, 284: 20171000. http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1000

Sawaya, P. 1939. Animais cavadores de praia arenosa. Arquivos do Instituto Biológico, 10: 319‑326.

Schaeffer-Novelli, Y. 1995. Manguezal: ecossistema entre a terra e o mar. São Paulo, Caribbean Ecological Research. 64p.

Veloso, V.G.; Cardoso R.S. & Fonseca D.B. 1997. Adaptações e biologia da macrofauna de praias arenosas expostas com ênfase nas espécies da região entre-marés do litoral fluminense. In: Oecologia Brasiliensis. Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, UFRJ. v. 3, p. 121‑133.

Williams, M.J. 1981. Methods for analysis of natural diet in portunid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 52: 103‑113.

Wolcott, T.G. 1978. Ecological role of ghost crabs, Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius) on an ocean beach: Scavengers or Predators? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 31: 103‑113.

Wolda, H. 1988. Insect seasonality: why? Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 19:1‑18.

Zavala-Camim, L.A. 1996. Introdução aos estudos sobre alimentação natural em peixes. Maringá, EDUEM.

Downloads

Published

2019-10-31

Issue

Vol. 59 (2019)

Section

Original Article

License

Responsibility: The scientific content and the opinions expressed in the manuscript are the sole responsibility of the author(s).

Copyrights: Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. The journal is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-type CC-BY.

How to Cite

Gomes, T. T., Gheler-Costa, C., Rinaldi, C. A., & Santana, W. (2019). Natural diet of Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Northern Coast of São Paulo, Brazil. Papéis Avulsos De Zoologia, 59, e20195957. https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2019.59.57

Funding data