HABITAT DIVERSITY AND SPECIES RICHNESS OF BRACHYURAN CRABS OFF UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS LAGOON COAST, AKOKA, NIGERIA.
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Abstract
The habitat diversity and species richness of brachyuran crabs of the University of Lagos Lagoon Coast were investigated from seven study sites. Six crabs species were collected and identified namely; Callinectes amnicola (Lagoon crab), Uca tangeri (Fiddler crab), Ocypoda africana (Ghost crab), Sesarma huzardi (Hairy mangrove crab), Goniopsis pelii (Purple mangrove crab) and Cardiosoma armatum (Land crab). The land crab Cardiosoma armatum showed the highest occurrence of all six species and was observed in all the study sites. Uca tangeri and Ocypoda africana showed low occurrence and low abundance where they occurred while Callinectes amnicola was the least occurring species. Site A had the highest species richness (0.7239) followed by Site B (0.7072), both having the lowest elevations of 13.72m and 11.58m respectively. The highest number of species was recorded at site A and B that had five species each. One crab species was each observed at Sites D and E which was the lowest, however these sites were located on higher elevations which were 21.03m and 18.29m respectively. The number of crab holes per site also followed similar pattern with sites A and B having the highest numbers recorded, 18.7x101 and 17.2x101 respectively and sites D and E having the lowest, 0.8x101 and 0.2x101 respectively. C. armatum had the greatest carapace length and heaviest weight, while C. amnicola the longest carapace width. The difference in mean length between left and right chelae of U. tangeri was pronounced when compared to other crab species. It was observed that high amount of oxygen, neutral or near neutral pH, relatively high salinity (6-80/00) and lower temperatures were preferred by these species of crabs. These physiochemical characteristics were present at most sites hence the relative high abundance of crabs within the University of Lagos campus.
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Onadeko, A., A. O. , L.-A., & Igborgbor, O. S. (2015). HABITAT DIVERSITY AND SPECIES RICHNESS OF BRACHYURAN CRABS OFF UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS LAGOON COAST, AKOKA, NIGERIA . The Bioscientist Journal, 3(1), 14-30. Retrieved from https://bioscientistjournal.com/index.php/The_Bioscientist/article/view/47
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Ajao, E.A. and Fagade, S.O. (1990). A study of sediment communities in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria.J. Oil Chem.Pollut., 7: 85-105.
Akpata, T. V. I., Oyenekan, J. A. and Nwankwo, D. I. (1996) Impact of organic pollution on the bacterial, plankton and benthic populations of Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Inter. J. Ecol. and Environ. Sci. 19:73-82
Barnes, R.D. and Hughes S. (1988): An Introduction to Marine Ecology. 2nd Edn., Blackwell Scientific Publications, UK., pp: 351.
Boschi, E.E. (2000a). Biodiversity of marine decapod brachyurans of the Americas.
Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2: 337-
342
Cannicci, S., Dahdouh – Guebas, F., Anyaona, D. and Vannini, M. (1995). Homing in the mangrove swimming crab, Thalamita crenata (Decapoda;Portunidae), Ethnology, 100: 424-452.
Chinadah, A.C., Tawari, C.C.B. and Ifechukwude, K.A. (2000). The food and feeding habits of the swimming crab, Callinectes amnicola (Portunidae) of the new Calabar River, Nigeria. J. of Applied Sci. Environ. Manage.,4: 51-57
Cumberlidge, N. (1999). The freshwater crabs of West Africa. Family Potamanautidae Paris. IRD. Collection of fauna and flora in the Tropics. 236pp.
Cuesta, J.A. and Anger, K. (2005). Larval morphology and salinity tolerance of a land crab from West Africa, Cardiosoma armantum (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Grecarcinidae), Journal of
Crustacean Biology, 25 (4), pp. 640-
654
Dahdouh – Guebas, F., Giuggioli, M., Oluoch, A., Vannini, M. and Cannicci, S. (1999). Feeding habits of nonocypodid crabs from two mangrove forests in Kenya. Bulletin Marine Science, 64(2): 291-297.
DeFelice, R.C., Eldredge, L.G. and Carlton. J.T. (2001). Nonindigenous marine invertebrates. Contribution No. 2001005 to the Hawaii Biological Survey. Bishop Museum, Hawaii Biological Survey, Bishop Museum Technical Report No. 21.
Duro-Ishola, O. (1982). Biology of crabs in the Lagos lagoon. MSc Thesis
University of
Lagos 318pp
Ekwu, A., Utong, A.I. and Oribhabor, B.J. (2012). Assessment of the response of Goniopsis pelii (Decapoda, Graspidae) to crude oil in static bioassay.
Emmanuel, B.E., 2008. The Fishery and bionomics of the swimming crab, Callinectes amnicola (DeRocheburne, 1883) from a Tropical Lagoon and its adjacent creek, South West, Nigeria. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 3(2): 114-125.
Fischer, W., Bianchi, G. and Scott, W.B. (1981) FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes. Volume VI. Eastern Central Atlantic Fishing area 34 and part of 47. FAO, Rome,
Italy
Fransozo, A. and Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. (1996). Brazilian coastal Crustacea Decapoda. In: Biodiversity in Brazil: 141 A First Approach (de Bicudo CE, Menezes MNA, eds). Proceedings of the Workshop Methods for the assessment of biodiversity in plants and animals, Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, Brazil, 26-30 May 1996,CNPq – Conselho
Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. 275-287, São Paulo,
Brazil
Gallep, G.W., Kitchell, J.F. and Bartell, S.M. (1978): Phosphorus release from lake sediments as affected by chironomid. Ver intervere for
Limnologic, 20:458-465
Garber, P. (2006). Phantoms in the Surf: Ghost Crabs. Ocracoke Wild: A Naturalist's Year on an Outer Banks Island. Parkway Publishers. pp. 94–98.
Gibbs, P. E. (1974) Notes on Uca burgersi Holthuis (Decapoda) from Barbuda, Leeward Islands. Research Bulletin 54:47-64
Gifford, C.A. (1962) Some observation on general biology of land crab, Cardiosoma guanhumi (Latrieille 1825), in South Florida. Biological Bull. Marine biology laboratory Woods. Hole Lancaster press Inc.
Massachussets; 123: 207-223.
Gillikin, D.P. (2004). Osmoregulatory ability of Chiromantes ortmanni
(Crosnier, 1965) subjected to dilute and hypersaline seawater. Crustaceana, 77(1): 67 -74.
Hartnoll, R.G. (1988). Evolution, systematics and geographical distribution. In Warren W. Burggren & Brian Robert McMahon. Biology of the Land Crabs. Cambridge University
Press. pp. 6–54.
Hendrickx, M.E. (1995). Checklist of brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Eastern Tropical
Pacific.Bulletin de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 65: 125-150
Huxley, J.S. and Callow, F.S. (1933) A note of the asymmetry of male fiddler crab, Uca pugilator W. Roux Archives Entwicklungsmechanik 129:379-392
Idowu, E.O. and Ugwumba, A.A.A. (2005): Physical, chemical and benthic faunal characteristics of a Southern Nigeria Reservoir. The Zoologist, 3: 15-25.
Jones G.S. and George, R.W. (1982)
Handedness in fiddler crabs as an aid in taxonomic grouping of the genus Uca (Decapoda, Ocypodidae) Crustaceana, 43:100-102
Karleskint, G., Turner, R.K. and Small, J. (2009). Intertidal Communities. Introduction to Marine Biology (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning. pp. 356–411.
Lawal- Are, A.O. and Kusemiju, K. (2000). Size composition, growth pattern and feeding habits of the blue crab Callinectes anmicola (De Rocheborne) in the Badagry Lagoon, Nigeria Journal of Science Researh and Development; 4: 117-126.
Lawal-Are, A.O. and Kusemiju, K. (2003). Aspects of the biology of the lagoon crab, Callinectes amnicola [De Rocheburne] in Badagry, Lagos and Lekki Lagoons in South-West Nigeria: In Proceeding of the 16th Annual Conference (Silver Jubillee Conference) of Fisheries Society of Nigeria.
Longhurst, A. (1958) An ecological survey of the West African marine benthos. Fish. Publ. Off. Lond. 11:101- 121
Morris, S. and Van Aardt W.J. (1998). Salt and water relations and nitrogen excretion, in the amphibious African freshwater crab Potamonautes warreni in water and in air. Journal of Experimental Biology; 201: 883-893.
Ng P.K.L., Guinot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. (2008). Systema brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 17: 1-286
Oke, O.O., (1990): Limnology and macrobenthos of owenareservoir. M.Phil. Thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. pp: 96.
Olafsson, E., Buchmayer, S. and Skov, M.W. (2002). The East African decapod crab, Neosarmatium meinerti (de Man) sweeps mangrove floors clean of leaf litter. Ambio, 31 (7 – 8): 569573.
Oyenakan, J.A. (1992) Growth patterns in three Brachyuran crabs in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Arch. Hydrobiol. 134:533-546.
Pauly, D., Palomares, M.L., Froese, R., Saa, P., Vakily, M., Preikshot, D. and Wallace, S. (2001) Fishing down Canadian aquatic food webs. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 58:51–62
Pauly, G. and Starmer, J. (2011) Evolution, insular restriction and extincton of Oceanic Land Crabs, exemplified by the loss of an endemic Geograpus in the Hawaiian Islands PLoS One 6(5): e19916
Pinder, W.A. and Smits, W.A. (1993) The burrow microhabitat of the Land crab,
Cardiosoma guanhumi :
Respiratory/Ionic conditions and physiological responses of crabs to hypercapnia. Physiological Zoology 66:216-236.
Poore, G.C. and Ahyong, S.T. (2004). Marine Decapod Crustacea of Southern Australia: A Guide to Identification. CSIRO Publishing. p. 496.
Rathbun, M.J. (1918). The Graspoid Crabs of America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 97: 1–461.
Rhodes, W.R. (1986) A comparative study of thoracic and cheliped muscle asymmetry in male fiddler crab (Genus: Uca) The Biological Bulletin 170: 335349.
Rosenberg, M.S. (1997) Evolution of shape differences between the major and minor chilepeds of Uca pugnax (Decapoda:Ocypodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 17:52-57.
Schlacher, T.A., Jager, R. and Nielsen, T. (2010) Vegetation and ghost crabs in coastal dunes as indicators of putative stressors from tourism. Ecology
Indicators 11: 284-294
Solarin, B.B., (1998). The hydrobiology, fishes and fisheries of the Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Ph.D Thesis,
University of Lagos, pp: 235.
Stevens, M., Rong, C.P. and Todd, P.A. (2013). "Colour change and camouflage in the horned ghost crab Ocypode ceratophthalmus". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 109: 257–270.
Tsuchida, S. and Fujikura, K. (2000). Heterochely, relative growth and gonopod morphology in the bythogracid crab, Austinograea williamsi (Decapoda, Brachyura). Journal of Crustacean Biology 20(2): 407-414
Walkley, A. and Black, I.A. (1934). An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining organic carbon in soils: Effect of variations in digestion conditions and of inorganic soil constituents. Soil Sci.63:251-263.
Williams, B. A. (1974) Swimming Crabs of the genus Callinectes. Fishery Bulletin. 72:685-798
Adebisi, A.A., (1989). The physicochemical hydrology of a tropical seasonal river Upper Ogun River. Hydrologia,79: 159-165.
Ajao, E. A. (1996). Review of the state of pollution of the Lagos Lagoon. NIOMR Technical Paper No. 16
Ajao, E.A. and Fagade, S.O. (1990). A study of sediment communities in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria.J. Oil Chem.Pollut., 7: 85-105.
Akpata, T. V. I., Oyenekan, J. A. and Nwankwo, D. I. (1996) Impact of organic pollution on the bacterial, plankton and benthic populations of Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Inter. J. Ecol. and Environ. Sci. 19:73-82
Barnes, R.D. and Hughes S. (1988): An Introduction to Marine Ecology. 2nd Edn., Blackwell Scientific Publications, UK., pp: 351.
Boschi, E.E. (2000a). Biodiversity of marine decapod brachyurans of the Americas.
Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2: 337-
342
Cannicci, S., Dahdouh – Guebas, F., Anyaona, D. and Vannini, M. (1995). Homing in the mangrove swimming crab, Thalamita crenata (Decapoda;Portunidae), Ethnology, 100: 424-452.
Chinadah, A.C., Tawari, C.C.B. and Ifechukwude, K.A. (2000). The food and feeding habits of the swimming crab, Callinectes amnicola (Portunidae) of the new Calabar River, Nigeria. J. of Applied Sci. Environ. Manage.,4: 51-57
Cumberlidge, N. (1999). The freshwater crabs of West Africa. Family Potamanautidae Paris. IRD. Collection of fauna and flora in the Tropics. 236pp.
Cuesta, J.A. and Anger, K. (2005). Larval morphology and salinity tolerance of a land crab from West Africa, Cardiosoma armantum (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Grecarcinidae), Journal of
Crustacean Biology, 25 (4), pp. 640-
654
Dahdouh – Guebas, F., Giuggioli, M., Oluoch, A., Vannini, M. and Cannicci, S. (1999). Feeding habits of nonocypodid crabs from two mangrove forests in Kenya. Bulletin Marine Science, 64(2): 291-297.
DeFelice, R.C., Eldredge, L.G. and Carlton. J.T. (2001). Nonindigenous marine invertebrates. Contribution No. 2001005 to the Hawaii Biological Survey. Bishop Museum, Hawaii Biological Survey, Bishop Museum Technical Report No. 21.
Duro-Ishola, O. (1982). Biology of crabs in the Lagos lagoon. MSc Thesis
University of
Lagos 318pp
Ekwu, A., Utong, A.I. and Oribhabor, B.J. (2012). Assessment of the response of Goniopsis pelii (Decapoda, Graspidae) to crude oil in static bioassay.
Emmanuel, B.E., 2008. The Fishery and bionomics of the swimming crab, Callinectes amnicola (DeRocheburne, 1883) from a Tropical Lagoon and its adjacent creek, South West, Nigeria. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 3(2): 114-125.
Fischer, W., Bianchi, G. and Scott, W.B. (1981) FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes. Volume VI. Eastern Central Atlantic Fishing area 34 and part of 47. FAO, Rome,
Italy
Fransozo, A. and Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. (1996). Brazilian coastal Crustacea Decapoda. In: Biodiversity in Brazil: 141 A First Approach (de Bicudo CE, Menezes MNA, eds). Proceedings of the Workshop Methods for the assessment of biodiversity in plants and animals, Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, Brazil, 26-30 May 1996,CNPq – Conselho
Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. 275-287, São Paulo,
Brazil
Gallep, G.W., Kitchell, J.F. and Bartell, S.M. (1978): Phosphorus release from lake sediments as affected by chironomid. Ver intervere for
Limnologic, 20:458-465
Garber, P. (2006). Phantoms in the Surf: Ghost Crabs. Ocracoke Wild: A Naturalist's Year on an Outer Banks Island. Parkway Publishers. pp. 94–98.
Gibbs, P. E. (1974) Notes on Uca burgersi Holthuis (Decapoda) from Barbuda, Leeward Islands. Research Bulletin 54:47-64
Gifford, C.A. (1962) Some observation on general biology of land crab, Cardiosoma guanhumi (Latrieille 1825), in South Florida. Biological Bull. Marine biology laboratory Woods. Hole Lancaster press Inc.
Massachussets; 123: 207-223.
Gillikin, D.P. (2004). Osmoregulatory ability of Chiromantes ortmanni
(Crosnier, 1965) subjected to dilute and hypersaline seawater. Crustaceana, 77(1): 67 -74.
Hartnoll, R.G. (1988). Evolution, systematics and geographical distribution. In Warren W. Burggren & Brian Robert McMahon. Biology of the Land Crabs. Cambridge University
Press. pp. 6–54.
Hendrickx, M.E. (1995). Checklist of brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Eastern Tropical
Pacific.Bulletin de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 65: 125-150
Huxley, J.S. and Callow, F.S. (1933) A note of the asymmetry of male fiddler crab, Uca pugilator W. Roux Archives Entwicklungsmechanik 129:379-392
Idowu, E.O. and Ugwumba, A.A.A. (2005): Physical, chemical and benthic faunal characteristics of a Southern Nigeria Reservoir. The Zoologist, 3: 15-25.
Jones G.S. and George, R.W. (1982)
Handedness in fiddler crabs as an aid in taxonomic grouping of the genus Uca (Decapoda, Ocypodidae) Crustaceana, 43:100-102
Karleskint, G., Turner, R.K. and Small, J. (2009). Intertidal Communities. Introduction to Marine Biology (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning. pp. 356–411.
Lawal- Are, A.O. and Kusemiju, K. (2000). Size composition, growth pattern and feeding habits of the blue crab Callinectes anmicola (De Rocheborne) in the Badagry Lagoon, Nigeria Journal of Science Researh and Development; 4: 117-126.
Lawal-Are, A.O. and Kusemiju, K. (2003). Aspects of the biology of the lagoon crab, Callinectes amnicola [De Rocheburne] in Badagry, Lagos and Lekki Lagoons in South-West Nigeria: In Proceeding of the 16th Annual Conference (Silver Jubillee Conference) of Fisheries Society of Nigeria.
Longhurst, A. (1958) An ecological survey of the West African marine benthos. Fish. Publ. Off. Lond. 11:101- 121
Morris, S. and Van Aardt W.J. (1998). Salt and water relations and nitrogen excretion, in the amphibious African freshwater crab Potamonautes warreni in water and in air. Journal of Experimental Biology; 201: 883-893.
Ng P.K.L., Guinot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. (2008). Systema brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 17: 1-286
Oke, O.O., (1990): Limnology and macrobenthos of owenareservoir. M.Phil. Thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. pp: 96.
Olafsson, E., Buchmayer, S. and Skov, M.W. (2002). The East African decapod crab, Neosarmatium meinerti (de Man) sweeps mangrove floors clean of leaf litter. Ambio, 31 (7 – 8): 569573.
Oyenakan, J.A. (1992) Growth patterns in three Brachyuran crabs in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Arch. Hydrobiol. 134:533-546.
Pauly, D., Palomares, M.L., Froese, R., Saa, P., Vakily, M., Preikshot, D. and Wallace, S. (2001) Fishing down Canadian aquatic food webs. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 58:51–62
Pauly, G. and Starmer, J. (2011) Evolution, insular restriction and extincton of Oceanic Land Crabs, exemplified by the loss of an endemic Geograpus in the Hawaiian Islands PLoS One 6(5): e19916
Pinder, W.A. and Smits, W.A. (1993) The burrow microhabitat of the Land crab,
Cardiosoma guanhumi :
Respiratory/Ionic conditions and physiological responses of crabs to hypercapnia. Physiological Zoology 66:216-236.
Poore, G.C. and Ahyong, S.T. (2004). Marine Decapod Crustacea of Southern Australia: A Guide to Identification. CSIRO Publishing. p. 496.
Rathbun, M.J. (1918). The Graspoid Crabs of America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 97: 1–461.
Rhodes, W.R. (1986) A comparative study of thoracic and cheliped muscle asymmetry in male fiddler crab (Genus: Uca) The Biological Bulletin 170: 335349.
Rosenberg, M.S. (1997) Evolution of shape differences between the major and minor chilepeds of Uca pugnax (Decapoda:Ocypodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 17:52-57.
Schlacher, T.A., Jager, R. and Nielsen, T. (2010) Vegetation and ghost crabs in coastal dunes as indicators of putative stressors from tourism. Ecology
Indicators 11: 284-294
Solarin, B.B., (1998). The hydrobiology, fishes and fisheries of the Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Ph.D Thesis,
University of Lagos, pp: 235.
Stevens, M., Rong, C.P. and Todd, P.A. (2013). "Colour change and camouflage in the horned ghost crab Ocypode ceratophthalmus". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 109: 257–270.
Tsuchida, S. and Fujikura, K. (2000). Heterochely, relative growth and gonopod morphology in the bythogracid crab, Austinograea williamsi (Decapoda, Brachyura). Journal of Crustacean Biology 20(2): 407-414
Walkley, A. and Black, I.A. (1934). An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining organic carbon in soils: Effect of variations in digestion conditions and of inorganic soil constituents. Soil Sci.63:251-263.
Williams, B. A. (1974) Swimming Crabs of the genus Callinectes. Fishery Bulletin. 72:685-798