The association between a deep-sea gastropod Pedicularia sicula (Caenogastropoda: Pediculariidae) and its coral host Errina dabneyi (Hydrozoa: Stylasteridae) in the Azores
Braga-Henriques, A.; Carreiro-Silva, M.; Porteiro, F.M.; de Matos, V.; Sampaio, I.; Ocaña, O.; Ávila, S.P. (2011). The association between a deep-sea gastropod Pedicularia sicula (Caenogastropoda: Pediculariidae) and its coral host Errina dabneyi (Hydrozoa: Stylasteridae) in the Azores. ICES J. Mar. Sci./J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 68(2): 399-407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsq066
In: ICES Journal of Marine Science. Academic Press: London. ISSN 1054-3139; e-ISSN 1095-9289, more
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| Keywords |
Interspecific relationships > Parasitism
Symbionts
Pedicularia Swainson, 1840 [WoRMS]; Pediculariidae Gray, 1853 [WoRMS]; Stylasteridae Gray, 1847 [WoRMS]
Azores [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Cold-water corals; Pedicularia |
| Authors | | Top | Dataset |
- Braga-Henriques, A.
- Carreiro-Silva, M.
- Porteiro, F.M., more
- de Matos, V.
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- Sampaio, I.
- Ocaña, O.
- Ávila, S.P.
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| Abstract |
he Azores region harbours the richest communities of stylasterid corals in the Northeast Atlantic area. Of the nine deep-water species found there, Errina dabneyi seems to be the most abundant species; it is commonly collected as bycatch from longline fishing. E. dabneyi host Pedicularia gastropods on their branches, and a detailed study of shell shape and morphometry at different growth stages, complemented by shell characterization through scanning electron microscopy, allows the individuals to be identified as Pedicularia sicula. The incidence of this species on E. dabneyi was high (69.8%), with abundances ranging between 1 and 223 individuals per colony. The pediculariids exhibited a high degree of plasticity and produced evident traces on the stylasterid skeletons at their fixation points, suggesting that they are ectoparasites and not predators of E. dabneyi. The stylasterid colonies also hosted a rich associated fauna dominated by suspension-feeders using the coral as substratum and for protection. |
| Dataset |
- Institute of Marine Research (IMAR - Azores), Portugal; Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) - UAC, Portugal (2015): COLETA - IMAR/DOP-Uac reference collection from 1977 to 2012., more
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