Symbiotic association between Echinometra mathaei (Echinoidea: Echinometridae) and Athanas sp. (Caridea: Alpheidae) from Sunhera Beach, Karachi (Northern Arabian Sea) Item Type article Authors Ghory, Farhana S.; Ahmed, Quratulan; Ali, Qadeer Mohammad Download date 30/09/2021 17:57:59 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/40826 Pakistan Journal of Marine Sciences, Vol. 27(1), 73-77, 2018. SYMBIOTIC ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ECHINOMETRA MATHAEI (ECHINOIDEA: ECHINOMETRIDAE) AND ATHANAS SP. (CARIDEA: ALPHEIDAE) FROM SUNHERA BEACH, KARACHI (NORTHERN ARABIAN SEA) Farhana S. Ghory, Quratulan Ahmed and Qadeer Mohammad Ali Marine Reference Collection and Resource Centre, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan. email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: During a recent fieldwork conducted along the exposed rocky shores of Karachi revealed association between alpheid shrimp Athanas sp. and sea urchin Echinometra mathaei (de Blanville, 1825). Globally symbiotic relationships between shrimps and other invertebrates is a known phenomenon, whereas the association between caridean shrimp and sea urchin has been commonly reported since long. The current study describes taxonomic details of both the organisms. This is the first report on symbiotic association between alpheid shrimp and sea urchin from Pakistan. KEYWORDS: Symbiotic, Athanas sp., Echinometra mathaei. INTRODUCTION Different organisms living together, usually involve small organisms that interact with larger hosts, with diverse costs and benefits between the partners is Symbiotic relationships. In this type of relationship, symbionts of macroinvertebrates gain significantly commencing the relationship, usually in terms of nourishment, transport or shelter, while the host is unaffected. The majority of symbionts show a color similarity and pattern to their host for protection from predators. Symbiotic relationships between alpheid shrimp and other marine invertebrates and fish are common phenomenon in tropical marine environments (Silliman, et al., 2009). Among marine crustaceans, a wide variety of taxa, including shrimps, crabs, amphipods, isopods, and copepods have been reported as symbionts of macroinvertebrates. Different relationships such as parasitism, mutualism and commensalism have been studied between several marine macroinvertebrate species and their crustacean symbionts (Castro, 1988).The relationship between the sea urchin and the shrimp is commensalism. The genus Athanas has four pan-tropical symbiotic species on sea urchins, A. dorsalis (Stimpson, 1861), A. kominatoensis (Kubo 1942), A. acanthocarpus (Miya and Miyake 1968), and A. indicus (Coutière 1903). The present study investigated the ectosymbiont association between the Athanas sp. and Echinometra mathaei (de Blanville, 1825). MATERIALS AND METHOD Echinometra mathaei were brought alive from the rocky area of the intertidal region of Sunehra (long 66° 40' 40.20'' E, lat. 24°52' 33.49'' N) on 22nd January, 2016 during low tide, as part of a study on the intertidal fauna. The collected specimens were placed 74 Pakistan Journal of Marine Sciences, Vol. 27(1), 2018. into separate plastic bags and taken to the laboratory alive for further study. Three Athanas sp. associated with the sea urchins were separated, and preserved in 70% ethanol. Later, their total length was measured (from the tipof the rostrum to the posterior margin of the telson) 15mm – 17mm. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Description: Echinometra mathaei (de Blanville, 1825) (Fig.1). E. mathaei is widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters (Hyman, 1955), generally found in low tide area, either hidden under rocks, in the crevices or in the holes in the rocks to protect themselves from predators as well as from desiccation. Due to its burrowing habit, it uses its teeth and spines to make holes in the rocks. As a result leads to bioerosion of the rocks. It is known to feed on red coralline algae and other tropical algae. Fig. 1. Athanas sp. associated with Echinometra mathaei. E. mathaei is oval in shape, without pits or depressions. The ambulacral plates are usually quadrigeminate and fused together. Each plate is with four pore-pairs, arranged in oblique arcs. The primary spines are stout and solid. Each is conical in shape and with a sharp pointed end. The secondary spines are small and slender. The primary tubercles are arranged in a regular longitudinal series. They are smooth, non-crenulated and imperforate. The secondary tubercles are irregularly arranged, smooth and variable in size. The oculars are all exert. The periproct is with a variable number of small plates, each with a few spines. The suranal plate is indistinct. The anus is usually in the centre. The peristome is large and with indistinct articulated plates. The jaws of the Aristotle’s lantern are of camarodont type, mouth is with five hard, calcareous keeled teeth. The pedicellariae are globiferous, each with one unpaired lateral tooth. It grows to a test diameter of about 5 cm, elliptical in shape dark in color and the spines are greenish brown in color; it is about 2-3 cm long, thick and their bases are circular Ghory et al.: Association between Echinometra mathaei and Athanas sp. 75 with tapering ends. The test is elliptical in shape and brownish in color. This rock boring sea urchin (E. mathaei) measured to a maximum diameter of 7 cm. Fig. 2. Athanas sp. Athanas sp. (Fig. 2). Color: The overall color of the body was dark brown, a creamy-white longitudinal band extended from the tip of the depressed triangular rostrum to the posterior end of the telson. Athanas belong to the family Alpheidae. These are small shrimp, few species are associated with other invertebrates and few species are found in small pockets of water around the edges of rocks as the tide retreats on sandy or muddy beaches, and at times swim freely in shallow tidal pools. Athanas shrimp symbiotic clinging to sea urchin spines between ambital regions and oral end, preferentially more towards margin of the oral surface. Athanas carapace was smooth and the rostrum was lanceolate in shape, reaching to the end of second antennular article. The ratio of the length to the breadth of the rostrum varied from 1.0 to 1.8. Extracorneal teeth were well developed. The supra and infracorneal teeth were absent. Stylocerite was curved inward with pointed tip. Scaphocerite was broad, reaching to end of antennular peduncle. Carpocerite was stout and as long as scaphocerite. First pereiopods were dissimilar in size and were chelate. Second pereiopods were with four carpals. In the third pereiopods, dactyls were provided with biunguiculate processes. Telson as long as broad. Remarks: Previously many reports ofsymbiotic relationships between decapods and other invertebrates have been recorded such as Gherardi (1991) reported Athanas indicus on Echinometra mathaei; Hayes (2007) different species of decapods: Percnon gibbesi, Stenorhynchus seticornis, Stenopus hispidus, Pagurid sp., Panulirus argus, Petrolisthes 76 Pakistan Journal of Marine Sciences, Vol. 27(1), 2018. galathinus, Mithraculus sp., on Diadema antillarum and Stenorhynchus seticornis on Eucidaris tribuloides; Mithrax sculptus on Tripneustes ventricosus; Canann and Goodwill (2014) Hyalidae sp. on Echinometra oblonga; Ayyagari and Kondamudi (2014) Athanas dorsalis on Stomopneustes variolaris; Saravanan et al., (2015) Zebrida adamsii on Toxopneustes pileolus. 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