Morphological and molecular variability in the invasive species Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1876) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae) as tool to infer about its introduction history

• Grant number: 14/14245-8
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Luis Medina Mantelatto
• Grantee: Mariana Negri Pereira
• Supervisor abroad: Christoph Daniel Schubart
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : University of Regensburg, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/06300-3 - Divesity and genetic structure of the allien swimming crab Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1876) as a tool to infer on its introduction in the American coast, BP.DD

Abstract

The swimming crab species Chaybdis hellerii is native from Indo-West Pacific. In 1924-1925, it was first recorded for the Mediterranean Sea. This invasion is associated with the Suez Canal opening. Later on, in 1987, it was first reported in the western Atlantic (Cuba). Since then, it has been documented for many regions along the American coast, from USA to the Southern coast of Brazil, where it has easily dispersed and established populations. This introduction is associated with ship traffic expansion. Thus it is suggested that individuals were transported in ballast water, possibly during their larval stages. Preliminary molecular analysis performed with American populations has shown a high genetic variability in the introduced areas, as well as the existence of at least two genetically distinct groups without any geographical pattern. This finding may indicate: 1) the occurrence of multiple introductions in the American coast from different sources; 2) an imminent speciation process in the introduced area; 3) the existence of a species complex under the name C. hellerii. Thus the objective of this project is to obtain morphological and molecular data from populations still not sampled, mainly those from native areas and from the Mediterranean Sea in order to understand the findings for the American coast and investigate C. hellerii introduction history, its dispersal dynamics, and the possible source populations. For this purpose, two molecular markers (Cox1 and 16S rDNA) will be used to perform phylogenetic, genetic distance and populational analyses and thus evaluate its genetic variability and population structure. Moreover, a search for morphological patterns will be conducted based on classical characters reported in the literature for the family Portunidae, as well as on characters still not used and variations still not reported seeking to complement and corroborate the molecular findings. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CARVALHO-BATISTA, ABNER; NEGRI, MARIANA; TAMBURUS, ANA FRANCISCA; COSTA, ROGERIO C.; CASTILHO, ANTONIO L.; ZARA, FERNANDO JOSE; MANTELATTO, FERNANDO L. Genetic comparison of the red shrimp Pleoticus muelleri (Decapoda: Solenoceridae) using the barcode gene reveals the absence of cryptic speciation along its distribution. REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE, v. 24, p. 392-399, NOV 2018. Web of Science Citations: 1.

NEGRI, MARIANA; SCHUBART, CHRISTOPH D.; MANTELATTO, FERNANDO L. Tracing the introduction history of the invasive swimming crab Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867) in the Western Atlantic: evidences of high genetic diversity and multiple introductions. Biological Invasions, v. 20, n. 7, p. 1771-1798, JUL 2018. Web of Science Citations: 6.

NEGRI, MARIANA; MANTELATTO, FERNANDO L. Integrative taxonomy reveals that Charybdis variegata (Fabricius, 1798) (Brachyura: Portunidae) has not been introduced in the South Atlantic Ocean. JOURNAL OF CRUSTACEAN BIOLOGY, v. 37, n. 3, p. 278-284, MAY 2017. Web of Science Citations: 3.

MANTELATTO, FERNANDO L.; CARVALHO, FABRICIO L.; SIMOES, SABRINA M.; NEGRI, MARIANA; SOUZA-CARVALHO, EDVANDA A.; TEROSSI, MARIANA. New primers for amplification of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I barcode region designed for species of Decapoda (Crustacea). Nauplius, v. 24, p. -, 2016. Web of Science Citations: 9.