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Activity Rhythms Of The Squat Lobsters, Galathea Squamifera And G. Strigosa (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) In South-West Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

S. De Grave  and
J.R. Turner
S. De Grave
Affiliation:
Aquatic Services Unit, Department of Zoology, University College Cork, Lee Makings, Prospect Row, Cork, Ireland.
J.R. Turner
Affiliation:
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, LL57 5EY
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Extract

This short note describes the in situ activity cycles of Galathea squamifera and G. strigosa (Crustacea: Decapoda) through SCUBA diving observations in south-west Ireland. Both species exhibited nocturnal activity peaks, although they were not exclusively nocturnal. Fluctuating tidal current strength and direction had no discernible influence on either species’ activity cycles. It is suggested that shelters, particularly in terms of both predator avoidance and as foraging areas, play an important role in the ecology of both species.

Both the anomuran decapod crustaceans Galathea squamifera Leach and G. strigosa (L.) are widespread throughout the rocky subtidal of the north-west European coastline. In contrast to the general body morphology and the structure of the mouthparts which have been well studied (Nicol, 1932; Pike, 1947), the biology and ecology of the genus Galathea remains poorly studied. These morphological studies have shown that the mouthparts are ill-adapted to living on muddy substrates, essentially restricting the distribution of both G. squamifera and G. strigosa to rocky areas, where their food is obtained by detrital deposit feeding and scavenging. Turner & Warman (1991) have studied the activity patterns of the genus Galathea at Lough Hyne, southwest Ireland and concluded that the genus exhibits nocturnal activity peaks. However, the different species were not distinguished, nor was the potential effect of the aberrant tidal patterns in the area considered. As at least three species (G. squamifera, G. strigosa, G. intermedia) are known to occur at the study site (Holmes, 1985), the present study was initiated to elucidate the activity cycles at a species-specific level.

Type
Short Communications
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 77 , Issue 1 , February 1997 , pp. 273 - 276
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1997

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