Symbiotic association between caprellids

(Amphipoda: Caprellidae) and the

scorpionfish Scorpaena mystes (Pisces:
Scorpaenidae)

Valentina Fernández-Del Valle, Cristian

Moisés Galván-Villa, José Luis Arreola-
Robles & Manuel Ayón-Parente

Symbiosis

ISSN 0334-5114
Volume 71
Number 1

Symbiosis (2017) 71:65-68

DOI 10.1007/s13199-016-0428-5

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 Author's personal copy
Symbiosis (2017) 71:65–68
DOI 10.1007/s13199-016-0428-5
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Symbiotic association between caprellids
(Amphipoda: Caprellidae) and the scorpionfish
Scorpaena mystes (Pisces: Scorpaenidae)
Valentina Fernández-Del Valle 1 & Cristian Moisés Galván-Villa 1 &
José Luis Arreola-Robles 2 & Manuel Ayón-Parente 1
Received: 4 June 2015 / Accepted: 29 May 2016 / Published online: 6 June 2016
# Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016
Abstract Caprellid amphipods are common epibionts on a
variety of invertebrates as well as vertebrates but little is
known on their life cycle in respect to their macrofaunal hosts.
This manuscript describes the permanent symbiotic associa-
tion between Caprella suprapiscis amphipods and the
scorpionfish Scorpaena mystes. A total of 303 individuals of
the caprellids including 134 males, 88 females, and 81 juve-
niles were found associated with seven out of eleven individ-
uals of S. mystes collected along the Bahía Chamela, Jalisco,
Mexico (central Mexican Pacific Ocean). The size of the
caprellids ranged from 0.8 to 9 mm total length. The number
of caprellids per fish do not depend on the size of the hosts as
there is no correlation between the total length of the fishes
and the number of caprellids. Our data suggests that the sym-
biotic association of C. suprapiscis with S. mystes is obliga-
tory and ectocommensal. The caprellids are located on the
dorsal surface of the fishes, mainly in the head portion. They
likely benefit from the association by filter-feeding and scrap-
ing mucous secretions or settled material from the surface of
their host as well as by improved dispersal.
Keywords Crustacea . Association . Symbiosis .
Ectocommensal . Pacific Ocean
* Cristian Moisés Galván-Villa
gvc07765@cucba.udg.mx
1
Laboratorio de Ecosistemas Marinos y Acuicultura, Departamento de
Ecología, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Camino Ing.
Ramón Padilla Sánchez 2100, Las Agujas, 45110 Zapopan, Mexico
2
Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara
(ITESM-GDL), Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Nuevo México,
45201 Zapopan, Mexico
1 Introduction
Caprellid amphipods, also called skeleton shrimps for their
appearance, are small marine crustaceans that have a great
importance for marine ecosystems (Guerra-García et al.
2009). Caprellids are common epibiotic organisms that have
a well-adapted morphology to attach to a variety of substrates
and associated with other invertebrates such as echinoderms,
hydroids, bryozooans, sponges, gorgonians, and crustaceans
(Guerra-García 2001); also they can be found associated with
vertebrates as fishes, sea turtles, and whales (Mori and Yamato
1993; Aoki and Kikuchi 1995; Rowntree 1996; Galván-Villa
and Ayón-Parente 2015).
The associations between caprellids and other species are
determined principally by feeding interactions or protection.
Many species are able to feed directly on the substrates where
they cling on, mainly on hydroids and algae that also provide
protection from their predators (Vázquez-Luis et al. 2009;
Lacerda and Masunari 2011). Available reports on associa-
tions between fish and caprellid amphipods are very scarce.
However, caprellid amphipods are important prey and a natu-
ral dietary component for many coastal fish species because of
their high level of fatty acids, cosmopolitan distribution, fast
growth, ability to reach high population densities, and the
wide environmental tolerance (Caine 1989; Guerra-García
et al. 2004; Woods 2009). Furthermore, the present work aims
to document the symbiotic relationship between caprellid am-
phipods and scorpionfishes in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
2 Materials and methods
This study was conducted at Bahía Chamela, Jalisco,
Mexico (central Mexican Pacific Ocean), from October
to December 2013. Scorpionfishes Scorpaena mystes
 Author's personal copy
66
Fig. 1 Caprellids associated to
Scorpaena mystes, a Caprellids in
upright-clinging behavior to body
surface of a scorpionfish, b Male
and female adults of Caprella
suprapiscis, c Head region of
male adult showing the anteriorly
projection, d Detail of gnathopod
2 of male adult
Jordan and Starks (1895) were collected by SCUBA
diving at five localities along the bay (19°31–34´N;
105°05–07´W) from 5 to 7 m depth (for details see
Galván-Villa and Ayón-Parente 2015). Fishes were col-
lected with a net bag, posteriorly placed in a bucket
with seawater. All fishes were transported to the labo-
ratory of the UNAM-Chamela station and maintained
alive for 24 h for examination of caprellids and taking
measures until returning to the sea. Caprellids were col-
lected directly with forceps and preserved in 70 % eth-
anol. Identification and counting were made later in the
Laboratory of Marine Ecosystems and Aquaculture
(LEMA in spanish), Universidad de Guadalajara
(UdeG), in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Caprellids were separated in males, females, and juve-
niles. Males were identified by the absence of the brood
pouches and the distal position of gnathopod 2. Females
were identified by the presence of brood pouches and the
anterior position of gnathopod 2 on pereonite 2. Other
smaller individuals lacking those distinct sexual characters
were defined as juveniles (Guerra-García et al. 2000). Each
individual was measured from the anterior margin of the
head to the posterior margin of the telson (total body
length) using a stereomicroscope with a graduated eyepiece
(8x and 32x). The relationship between the density of
caprellids and total length of scorpionfishes was determined
by applying a linear regression analysis. The sex ratio of
the caprellid population was estimated and the significance
in deviations were assessed by the Chi-square test.
V.F.-D. Valle et al.
3 Results and discussions
A total of 11 scorpionfishes Scorpaena mystes were examined
(ranging in length from 11 to 22.5 cm). Only one species of
caprellid amphipod (Caprella suprapiscis Galván-Villa and
Ayón-Parente 2015) recently described was found associated
with S. mystes. A total of 303 caprellids were collected includ-
ing 134 males, 88 females (65 non-ovigerous and 23
ovigerous), and 81 juveniles. The caprellids were found main-
ly around the eyes and head of the host, less occurrence on
posterior body portion were found (Fig. 1a). Relationship be-
tween total length of fishes and number of caprellids was not
found (r2 = 0.07, n = 13, p > 0.05). Only seven fishes had
caprellids (54 % prevalence) and the abundance of caprellids
per fish ranged from one to 109 individuals on a single fish
(mean 43 ± 51, n = 7) (Fig. 2a).
In general, females were smaller than males and not all
females were mature but a high proportion were breeding
during sampling months (October–December). The overall
sex ratio for caprellids was 1:0.65 (male/female). Total num-
ber of males was significantly higher than females (χ2 = 9.53,
n = 7, p < 0.05). In almost all of the fishes, more males oc-
curred than females with exception of one. The proportion of
ovigerous females to total females was significantly smaller
than that for non-ovigerous females (χ2 = 20.04, n = 7,
p < 0.05). The sizes of the males ranged from 2.6 to 9 mm
total body length (mean 4.7 ± 1.4), females from 2.6 to 7 mm
(mean 4.5 ± 1.0), and juveniles from 0.8 to 3.2 mm (mean
2.3 ± 0.5) (Fig. 2b).
 Author's personal copy
Symbiotic association between caprellids and scorpionfishes
Fig. 2 Frequency of caprellids, a Variation in abundance of males,
females, and juveniles of Caprella suprapiscis for each scorpionfish, b
Sex ratio in total number of individuals of Caprella suprapiscis collected
over all scorpionfish. Lines represents the mean body size and standard
deviation of each group
According to Vader’s (1983) associations types between
caprellids and sea anemones observations suggest that
C. suprapiscis is an obligatory ectocommensal. This type of
association was designated because on some of the
scorpionfishes C. suprapiscis were found at all stages of de-
velopment, which indicates that they live on the host their
entire life cycle. Nonetheless, it seems that the presence or
absence of caprellids has no effect on the scorpionfish, and it
does not offer any evident benefits or disturbances.
Due to the capacity to move off the scorpionfishes, it is
possible that caprellids are using it as a mean of transportation
to facilitate the finding of food and for dispersion. These ben-
efits are described between caprellids and some echinoderms
(Patton 1968; Volbehr and Rachor 1997; Wirtz 1998; Lindsay
and Takeuchi 2008). Dispersion of caprellids among
scorpionfish individuals probably takes place during the re-
productive period of fish when male and female mate
(Galván-Villa pers. obs.). Patton (1968) described similar
67
dispersion behaviour where the caprellid Caprella grahami
readily crossed from one starfish Asterias forbesi to another
one upon contact.
Most of the caprellids were found clinging around the eyes
and head of the scorpionfish, attaching with the anterior
appendages and prehensile pereiopods, adaptations that
provide a powerful hold to the host. Takeuchi and Hirano
(1995) described that Bupright^ and Bparallel^ are the two prin-
cipal postures seen in the genus Caprella, the first group in-
habits environments with little wave action grasping the sub-
stratum with pereiopods V-VII, while the Bparallel^ group at-
tach to macroalgae exposed to strong wave action using
gnathopod I and pereiopods V-VII with the body somites
straight to the substratum. In situ observations indicate that
C. suprapiscis use the Bupright^ attachment, which facilitates
the filter-feeding mechanism waiting for food particles to be
caught with antennae and gnathopod setae. They could also
feed on material that settles on their hosts or by scraping mu-
cous secretions off the surface of the fish as it has been reported
for caprellid-starfish associations (Patton 1968). Further studies
on gut contents and feeding behaviour of these species are still
needed to reveal further clues. Another advantage for these
caprellids is protection due to behaviour of the host, venomous
fin-spines for self-defense of the fish that reduce possibilities of
predation, and the mimicry with the skin flaps, where the
caprellids match the background with a similar color pattern
and get protection by being less visible to predators (see
Fig. 1a–d).
The presence of C. suprapiscis in most of the
scorpionfishes shows that this species is well associated to
them. Visual records in other locations suggest the association
of caprellid amphipods with S. mystes throughout the Pacific
coast of Mexico and the Gulf of California (Arreola-Robles
pers. obs.). However, confirmation of the caprellid species
associated to scorpionfishes in other localities is wanting and
it is probable that C. suprapiscis occurs along the distribution
of S. mystes in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
Acknowledgments Thanks to Eduardo Ríos for field support, to Jorge
Vega from UNAM-Chamela station for facilities, Diego Moreno for his
help during fieldwork, Alberto Fernández for English revision, and Wim
Vader for providing us bibliographic material. Also thanks to Harald
Gruber and one anonymous reviewer for helpful comments. Financial
support for the sampling process through the project JF023-CONABIO
and P3E2013-UdeG.
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