The stony coral Agaricia tenuifolia Dana, 1848 as a new gall crab host (Decapoda: Cryptochiridae)

Abstract

Abstract Infrequently studied coral species are seldom mentioned as host organisms of associated fauna. Here we report on the stony coralAgaricia tenuifoliaDana, 1848 hosting a gall crab (Cryptochiridae) for the first time. This coral-dwelling crab was observed at the southern coast of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean. Based on the shape of the dwelling, and the host specificity of cryptochirids, the crab is tentatively identified asOpecarcinus hypostegus(Shaw & Hopkins, 1977).

Keywords

• Associated organisms
• Caribbean
• Crustacea
• host specificity
• Scleractinia.