New insights into the distribution and biology of some cumaceans (Crustacea: Peracarida) from the Canary Islands

              Rev. Acad. Canar. Cienc, Vol. XXIV, 29-37 (diciembre de 2012)
NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE DISTRIBUTION AND BIOLOGY
OF SOME CUMACEANS (CRUSTACEA: PERACARIDA)
FROM THE CANARY ISLANDS
J. Corbera', R. Riera *, L. Moro' & R. Herrera^
' Carrer Gran, 90, 083 10 Argentona. Catalonia, Spain
- Centre de Investigaciones Medioambientales del Atlantico (CIMA SL)
C/Arzobispo Elias Yanes. 44. 38206 La Laguna. Tenerife. Canar\- Islands. Spain
*corresponding author: rodrigo'^a cimacanarias.com
' Ser\ icio de Biodiversidad. Viceconsejeria de Medio Ambiente del Gobiemo de Canarias
Edf. Usos Multiples I, Av. Anaga n° 35. 38071. S C de Tenerife. Canan. Islands. Spain
"* Ser\ icio de Biodi\ ersidad. Viceconsejeria de Medio Ambiente del Gobiemo de Canarias
Edificio de Servicios Multiples II (S"* planta). Agustin Millares Carlo, 18
35071 - Las Palmas de Gran Canada. Gran Canada. Canan.' Islands. Spain
RESUMEN
Se detallan nuevos datos sobre la distribucion y biologia de algunas especies de cuma-ceos
de las islas Canarias. Campylaspis glabra, Nannastacus cf. ungiculatiis y Diastylis nigosa
se citan por primera vez en estas islas. La distribucion de la especie endemica Speleocuma
guanche, conocida iinicamente en la costa sur de Tenerife, se amplia a raiz de este trabajo a la
costa norte y oeste de esta. a la \ ez que se cita por primera vez en Gran Canaria y Lanzarote.
Apartir de los ejemplares recolectados de esta iiltima especie. se ha estudiado su fecundidad
estimandose en una media de 1 1.2 = 2.9 embriones por puesta. Estos valores son de los mas
bajos observados en los cumaceos y se sugiere que son debidos a la vida cavemicola, donde
la variabilidad ambiental es inferior y donde existe un menor impacto de la depredacion.
Palabras clave: Cumacea. Speleocuma, Iphinoe, Campylaspis, Nannastacus, Dias-nlis,
fecundidad. islas Canarias.
ABSTRACT
New data on the distribution and biology of some cumacean species from the Canarv'
Islands are reported. Campylaspis glabra. Nannastacus cf. ungiculatus and Diast}-lis rugosa
are first recorded from these islands. The distribution of the endemic species Speleocuma
guanche, up to now only known from the south coast of Tenerife, is extended to the west and
north coast of this island as well as it is first recorded from Gran Canaria and Lanzarote coasts.
Fecundity of this species was estimated from the collected specimens, resulting in a mean of
1 1.9 ± 2.9 embryos per brood. These values are between the lowest observed in cumaceans,
suggesting cave habitat influences that would support lower environmental variability as well
as lower predation pressure.
Key words: Cumacea, Speleocuma. Iphinoe. Campylaspis. Nannastacus. Diastylis,
fecundity, Canary Islands.
29
1. INTRODUCTION
The cumacean fauna of the Canary Islands has been scarcely studied. CORBERA et
al. [4] compiled a checklist of the species recorded in waters of the archipelago. The catalogue
includes 29 species, most of them inhabiting deep-water and mainly collected during a 1968
cruise of the RRS Discovery. Later, CORBERA et al. [5] studied interstitial cumaceans of Cy-modocea
meadows describing a new species, Iphinoe canariensis, and almost simultaneously
(CORBERA [3]) described a new genus and species, Speleocuma guanche, dwelling in ma-rine
lava caves of Tenerife. Since then, only a few records of /. canariensis have been pub-lished
(RIERA e^ a/. [15, 16, 17]).
If the cumacean fauna has been poorly studied, no information is known about the bi-ology
of any cumacean species of this archipelago. Early study was due to FORSMAN [10],
later on, COREY [6, 7] investigated the fecundity and reproductive strategies of some species.
However, while a more or less constant number of taxonomic works has increased the num-ber
of currently known species about 1,600, only a few have dealt with its biology.
The study of the cumacean material recently collected in different monitoring pro-grammes
throughout the Canary archipelago allowed to increase the list of cumacean species
as well as to extend the distribution range of some little known species. Additionally, data on
the reproduction and fecundity of the endemic species Speleocuma guanche was also provided.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
All specimens were sampled by means of a 0.5 mm mesh size, wiping Cymodocea no-dosa
meadows, and cave walls and roofs (Fig. 1 ). Samples were deposited in a tray and all
29°N - La Palma
s\
28°N - El Hierro
V
fr
) 't / --' ^f
La Gomera
/ f'Gran
( ', Xanaria
Lanzarote T"
' ^ ^~V 11 ' 13
Fuerteventura
1
18°W 16°W 14-W
Figure L- Map of the study area, showing sampling locations where cumaceans were recorded: L Los
Cerebros Cave; 2. Playa San Juan; 3. El Carrizal Cave; 4. Roque Garachico; 5. Punta del Viento; 6.
Cave in Los Realejos; 7. Las Teresitas Beach; 8. Medio Almud Beach; 9. Baja de Pasito Blanco; 10. Cave
north to El Cabron Beach; \\. Barranco del Kikere; 12. La Catedral Cave; 13. Playa Chica; 14. Se-badales
de Guasimeta.
30
specimens were collected at the surface because of the impoverishment of aquatic climate
(anoxia). In vivo photographs were taken of studied specimens and then they were consened
in alcohol 90^
Specimens of Speleociima guanche were measured (accuracy ± 0.025 mm) and the fe-cundity
of females was estimated by counting intramarsupial contents that were classified
into five developmental stages according to BISHOP [1].
Statistics were performed using R v2.13.0 software package (R DEVELOPMENT
CORE TEAM [14]).
The studied material was obtained within the framework of the project MAKARONE-SIA
2000, funded by the Organismo Autonomo de Museos y Centros del Cabildo de Tener-ife
and "The biota inventory of marine ZECS from Tenerife, Gran Canada, La Palma and
Lanzarote", funded by the Viceconsejeria de Medio Ambiente del Gobiemo de Canarias
(2011).
3. SYSTEMATICS
Order CUMACEA Kroyer. 1846
Family BODOTRIIDAE Scott. 1901
Subfamily BODOTRIINAE Scott. 1901
Iphinoe cattariensis Corbera, Brito & Nunez. 2001
(Fig. 3 A-C)
Studied material.- Gran Canaria: Baja de Pasito Blanco, stn 1, UTM 438437 3066830. -18 m. 24 Au-gust
2011. 1 preadult female: Medio Almud Beach, stn 2, UTM 426611 3075515. -14 m. 24 August
2011. 1 adult male. Tenerife: Las Teresitas Beach, stn 1. UTM 384091 3153903. -7 m. 20 November
2011. 1 adult male. Lanzarote: Sebadales de Guasimeta UTM 638473/3203422. -8 m. 8 April 2011, 2
preadult females: Playa Chica, UTM 629884 3199599, sandy unvegetated seabeds. -20 m. 29 April
2012, 1 ind.
Distribution.- Iphinoe canariensis was described from southern coast of Tenerife Island on
sandy bottoms and Cymodocea meadows between 7 and 16 m depth (CORBER.A. et al. [5]).
it was later reported again in the same area (RIERA et al. [15]) and in a garden eel at deeper
bottoms (29.8 m) (RIERA et al. [16]). RIERA et al. [17] reported for the first time the pres-ence
of this species in sandy bottoms of Gran Canaria estimating abundances up to 46 ind m-.
Its distribution is here extended to Lanzarote Island and new localities from Gran Canaria and
Tenerife are also provided.
Subfamily VAUNTHOMPSONIINAE Sars. 1878
Speleocuma guanche Corbera, 2002
(Fig. 3 D-E)
Studied material.- Tenerife: El Carrizal cave, stn 11. UTM 314276/3134470. -6 m. 24 May 201 1. 1
aduh male. 1 ovigerous female: Los Cerebros cave, stn 8. UTM 322536/31 17655.-10 m. 22 May 20 11.
12 preadult females. 17 ovigerous females: Baja de Los Realejos cave, sm 15. UTM 343440 3143984,
31
-37.5 m, 6 June 2011, 1 preadult females, 2 ovigerous females; Punta del Viento, stn 14, UTM
336586/3142697, -5 m, 6 June 2011, 1 preadult female; Roque de Garachico, stn 10, UTM
327359/3140338, -25 m, 24 May 2011, 1 ovigerous female. Gran Canada: cave north to the Cabron
Beach, stn 7, UTM 462456/3083276, -18 m, 27 August 201 1, 2 preadult females, 2 ovigerous females.
Lanzarote: La Catedral Cave, UTM 629572/3199750, -32 m, 10 April 201 1, 3 preadult females; Veril
de Cagafrecho, in marine caves at different depths (29-39 m) (Puerto del Carmen wrecks UTM
629122/3199850; La Catedral UTM 629751/3199572; Los Camarones UTM 629623/3199631; Bar-ranco
del Kikere UTM 628543/3199682), numerous individuals, 18-30 April 2012.
Taxonomic remarks.- Although CORBERA [3] included the newly described genus
Speleocuma within the subfamily Mancocumatinae Watling, 1977, in a phylogenetic analy-sis
of the Bodotriidae HAYE [11] found not discriminatory characters between the subfami-lies
Mancocumatinae and Vaunthopmsoniinae. Consequently, Mancocumatinae was
synonymized with Vaunthopmsoniinae. Regardless, the relationship of the genus Speleocuma
with others genera inhabiting noithwestem Atlantic proposed by CORBERA [3] was sup-ported
by the phylogenetic analysis (HAYE [11]) that groups in the same clade Mancocuma
Zimmer, 1943, Spilocuma Watling, 1977 and Speleocuma Corbera, 2002.
Biological remarks.- Within the collected specimens, we analyzed 43 of them: 1 preadult
male, 4 adult males, 16 preadult females and 22 ovigerous.
The carapace length is often used in cumaceans as an easily and accurately measured
reference instead of total length (BISHOP [1], COREY [6]). An allometric relationship (Major
Axis estimation) between the carapace length (CL) and the total length (TL) was established
(Fig. 2A):
TL = 3.8007CLO^^''^ (R- 0.9073; p<0.0001)
where the exponent is not significantly different of 1 (df = 41 ; p > 0.05) that supports the use
of the carapace length as reference measurement. Carapace length of ovigerous females ranged
from 0.725 to 0.9 mm with a mean value of 0.823 ± 0.043 mm. Their fecundity (F) fluctuated
between 6 and 1 8 individuals per marsupium, with a mean value of 1 1 .2 ± 2.9 individuals per
marsupium. There is a significant positive correlation between this fecundity and the carapace
length (CL in mm) of the adult females, but the coefficient of determination R^ value is very
low (Fig. 2B), meaning that less than 35% of the variation in the fecundity can be explained
by carapace length.
Within the ovigerous females the following stages of development were found: stage
I, 18.8%; stage II, 31.3%; stage III, 25%; stage IV 12.5%; stage V, 25%. The diameter of el-lipsoid
eggs/embryos (stage I) fluctuated between 0.175 and 0.275 mm with a mean value of
0.223 ± 0.026 mm and a mean volume of 0.004 ml The simultaneous presence of two suc-cessive
stages (IV-V) in two of the examined marsupium suggests that development of S.
guanche may be occasionally asynchronous.
Fecundity ofS. guanche is one of the lowest within those of cumacean species so far
known (see COREY [6, 7], JOHNSON et al. [13]). Only the deep-water species Leuconjonesi
Bishop, 1982 and the summer generation of Almyracuma proximocull Jones and Burbanck,
1959, inhabiting intertidal freshwater springs, have a lower mean fecundity (8.8 and 6 embryos
per brood respectively; BISHOP [1], DUNCAN [8]). However, while mean carapace length
for the summer generation ofA. proximoculi is smaller than ofS. guanche, in L.jonesi is con-
32
TL = 3 8007CL-""
R- = 9073
Of = 41 P<0 0001
S .
o preadult females
A adult males
^ preadult males
OO B
R- =0 3364
°
iiE.
df=18.P=0 007
TO
E 2 - o Xy 0) /
Q. oy o
1- o /^o o
~ ^/^ o o ^^ O y^
aj
*"* ^^^
1 ^^ o o
c ^^
UL ® -
^-^^ °
o
«3 -
0.70 0.75 080
CL (mm)
0.85 0.90
CL (mm)
Figure 2.- Speleocuma giianche relationships between carapace length (CL) and total length (TL)(A
and between carapace length and fecundity (F) (B).
siderably bigger (mean 1 .03 mm; BISHOP [1], 1982). On the other hand, Pseudociima longi-corne
(Bate, 1858) that has a similar carapace length (0.85 mm), has a higher fecundity (mean
20.9 embryos per brood; COREY [7]). Although there is a relation between the carapace
length (i.e. the size of the female) and the fecundity, COREY [7] pointed out that shallow
water cumaceans has larger broods that of inhabiting deep sea in order to offset higher pre-dation
as well as to compensate instability of the environment. Submarine caves, like the deep
sea, could act as a protective habitat, thus fa\ ouring a low er fecundity that at the same time
may imply a lower energetic cost.
Distribution.- Speleocuma giianche was only known from the cave system of the type lo-cality
on the southeastern coast of Tenerife (CORBERA [3]). Its distribution is here extended
to the west and the north coast of this island and also to the south coasts of Gran Canaria and
Lanzarote.
Family NANNASTACIDAE Bate, 1866
Campylaspis giabra Sars. 1879
(Fig. 4 A-B)
Studied material.- Tenerife: El Carrizal cave, stn 11. UTM 3 14276'3 134470. -6 m. 24 May 2011. 1
preadult female. Gran Canaria: cave north to El Cabron Beach, stn 7. UTM 462456 3083276. -18 m. 27
August 201 1, 1 preaduh male.
Distribution.- Campykispis glabra is an eurybathic species recorded from 15 to 3,000 m
depth and widely distributed in the north Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. FAGE
[9] reported this species from deep waters off the coast of Senegal (east Africa), but it is here
recorded for fist time from shallow-water submarine ca\'es of the Canarv Islands.
33
Nannastacus cf. ungiculatus (Bate, 1859)
Studied material.- Tenerife: Playa San Juan, stn. 6, UTM, 3118099/322029, -15 m, 20 July 2011, 1
ovigerous female.
Distribution.- This species is known from the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the
Black Sea. It inhabits among photophilic algae and in Posidonia meadows of shallow bottoms
between and 40 m depth. Although it has been recorder at deeper bottoms (1 10-120 m;
LEDOYER [12]), the study of that material deposited in the MNHN-Paris confirmed that it
actually belongs to A^. atlanticus [see Supporting information File S2 pp 238-247, in COLL
et al. [2]]. PAGE [9] reported this species from the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Its distribution
is here extended to the Canary Islands.
Family DIASTYLIDAE Bate, 1856
Diastylis rugosa Sars, 1 865
(Lam. 4 C-D)
Studied material.- Lanzarote, Puerto del Carmen, cueva de La Catedral, UTM 629751/3199572, -32
m, 29 April 2012, 2 specimens.
Distribution.- Diastylis rugosa has a depth range from to 90 m, where it inhabit sandy and
muddy sand seabeds of the upper shelf. This species is widely distributed in the Northeast
Altantic Ocean (from Norway to the Bay of Biscay) and the Mediterranean Sea. Here, its At-lantic
distribution is extended south to the Canary Islands.
4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Rafael Herrero (AquaWork Producciones) for diving assistance in Tenerife, Lan-zarote
and Gran Canada. We acknowledge Patricia Monagas, Nino Navarro and Andrea Casini
for their collaboration during field campaigns. To Juana Abad Cellini and Leopoldo Moro Gar-cia,
Emilio Rodriguez (Hippocampus-Fariones Dive Center), Alfonso Montes de Oca (Naosub
Dive Center) for logistic support. To Eva Ramos (CIMA SL) for providing the studied speci-men
belonging to the genus Nannastacus. And last but not least, to Dr. Juan Jose Bacallado
Aranega (Director of the Project MAKARONESIA 2000) for his continuous encouragement.
5. REFERENCES
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cumacean (Crustacea: Peracarida). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 74(4):
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[2] COLL, M., PIRODDI C, STEENBEEK J., KASCHNER K., BEN RAIS LASRAM F.,
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PLoS ONE 5(8): el 1842.
34
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35
Figure 3.- A-C. Iphinoe canahensis Corbera, Brito & Nunez, 2002: adult male from Tenerife (A-B) and
preadult female from Gran Canada (C); D-E. Speleocuma guanche Corbera, 2002: individual from Lan-zarote
(D) and preadult female from Tenerife (E).
36
Figure 4.- A-B. Campylaspis glabra Sars. 1879: preadult female from Tenerife (A) and preadult male
from Gran Canaria (B): C-D. Diasnlis fu^osa Sars. 1865 from Lanzarote.
37