|A A A|

Detailed Reference Information

Detailed information for reference 26188

 Spivak, E.D. and C.D. Schubart (2003) Species status in question: a morphometric and molecular comparison of Cyrtograpsus affinis and C. altimanus (Decapoda, Brachyura, Varunidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 23(1): 212–222. PDF is 167kB

 

Comment or Correction

Report a problem or comment on this reference.

Thank you!

PDF quality information

PDF quality and completeness not (yet) assessed

Certification information

2008-09-19 N. Dean Pentcheff Viewed paper/PDF original

Reference change log

No changes logged

Reference record internal details

Reference ID 26188
Reference type journalarticle
Authors Spivak, E.D.
Schubart, C.D.
Publication Year (for display) 2003
Publication Year (for sorting) 2003
Title Species status in question: a morphometric and molecular comparison of _Cyrtograpsus affinis_ and _C. altimanus_ (Decapoda, Brachyura, Varunidae)
Secondary Title Journal of Crustacean Biology
Secondary Authors  
Tertiary Title  
Tertiary Authors  
Volume 23
Issue 1
Pages 212–222
Place published  
Published  
Date  
URL
Abstract
Three species of the varunid crab genus Cyrtograpsus (Brachyura: Grapsoidea) occur in apparent sympatry along temperate coastlines of the southwestern Atlantic. Two of them, C. angulatus Dana, 1851, and C. altimanus Rathbun, 1914, are common in intertidal habitats and are easily separable by their morphology. In contrast, there is very limited knowledge on the ecology and distribution of the third species, C. affinis (Dana, 1851). In the present study, several specimens of C. affinis were collected in the Rı ´o de la Plata Estuary between Argentina and Uruguay. The study of these specimens showed that C. affinis tends to be smaller than the other two species of the genus and seems to be restricted to subtidal habitats. However, morphometric comparisons suggest the existence of a continuous gradient rather than discrete differences between specimens of C. affinis and C. altimanus. Morphometric differences were as common among subtidal samples as between subtidal and intertidal samples. Likewise, comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences (16S rRNA) did not reveal diagnostic differences between the two putative species, suggesting a very close relationship between C. altimanus and C. affinis. Possibly the two forms represent a single species with a high ecological and phenotypic plasticity.
Keywords  
Remarks  
Reference Contributor Tag atolla
Last Changed Wed Dec 5 10:57:53 2012

Creative Commons License Copyright NHMLAC    Design: Dean Pentcheff pentcheff@gmail.com