Are coral-dwelling crabs monophyletic? A phylogeny of the Trapezioidea (Crustacea : Decapoda : Brachyura)
Joelle C. Y. Lai A D , Shane T. Ahyong B , M.-S. Jeng C and Peter K. L. Ng AA School of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore.
B Biodiversity and Biosecurity, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901 Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand.
C Biodiversity Research Centre, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road Sec. 2, Nankang Taipei 115 Taiwan, China.
D Corresponding author. Email: chiuyun@nus.edu.sg
Invertebrate Systematics 23(4) 402-408 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS09012
Submitted: 3 March 2009 Accepted: 21 August 2009 Published: 30 October 2009
Abstract
Many brachyuran crab genera are known to be obligate symbionts on scleractinian corals in shallow tropical seas (e.g. Cymo, Tanaocheles, Domecia, Tetralia, Tetraloides and Trapezia). Most are currently placed in several families and superfamilies, the most prominent being the Trapezioidea, containing Domeciidae, Tetraliidae and Trapeziidae. The distinctness of the domeciids has long been recognised in Domecinae, and finally Domeciidae. Tetraliidae, however, has only recently been recognised when the classical coral obligate family Trapeziidae was split into two families, Trapeziidae sensu stricto and Tetraliidae. Recognition of Tetraliidae, however, has been controversial, and some workers have suggested that it should be regarded as a synonym of Trapeziidae, principally on the basis of carapace morphology and larval features. Using two gene markers, we evaluate the status of Trapezioidea and, in particular, that of Tetraliidae. Our analyses support the distinction between Tetraliidae and Trapeziidae and suggest that crabs have independently colonised hard corals several times.
Acknowledgements
JLCY thanks Bella Galil for specimen loans, Paul Clark and Peter Castro for their comments on various aspects of this study. STA gratefully acknowledges support from the NIWA Capability fund, the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology, and a research fellowship from the National University of Singapore. MSJ was supported by a grant from the National Science Council, Taiwan. This study is funded through NUS research grant R-154-000-266-112 to the senior author.
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