On a new commensal species of Aliaporcellana from the western Pacific (Crustacea, Decapoda, Porcellanidae)

By

Hiller, Alexandra
Werding, Bernd

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

780

Pages

1-9

Subjects

Adaptation , Aliaporcellana , Commensalism , Crustacea , Indo-West Pacific , new species , Porcellanidae , sponge- and octocoral-dwelling

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.780.26388

 

Abstract

Aliaporcellanaspongicolasp. n.from the Philippines and Indonesia is described. The new species has been frequently photographed by divers because of its striking coloration, but has not been described yet.Aliaporcellanaspongicolasp. n.is in fact a widespread commensal of barrel sponges of the genusXestospongiaand other sponges. Morphological characters and ecological information of all described species ofAliaporcellana, and of other porcellanids associated with sponges and soft corals, suggest that all members of the genus are commensals, and that similar morphological adaptations to dwelling on these hosts have evolved independently in different evolutionary lines within Porcellanidae.