Genetic and morphological variability of the hermit crab Clibanarius antillensis Stimpson, 1859 along its distribution

• Grant number: 16/22448-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Luis Medina Mantelatto
• Grantee: Keity Sayuri Nishikawa
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Studies on intraspecific variability have shown different degrees of geographic structure and intraspecific genetic variation among populations of some marine species, including decapod crustaceans distributed along the Western Atlantic Ocean. In some cases, those findings have even provided strong support for the recognition of cryptic species. The hermit crab Clibanarius antillensis is distributed in this area: Bermuda, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Panama, Antilles, North of South America and Brazil. These factors, as along with noticeable differences in color pattern and in larval morphology, make this species a model for studies on intraspecific variations. Therefore, the aims of this study will be to investigate the occurrence of genetic structure along the distribution of C. antillensis and to check its taxonomic status, by using morphological and molecular analysis. (AU)