Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
The biogeography and bathymetric distribution of New Zealand hermit crabs
(Crustacea: Anomura: Paguridea)
Jacques Forest*, Colin L. McLay+
*Laboratoire de Zoology (Arthropodes), Museum National d'Histoire
Naturelle, 61 Rue Buffon, Paris, 05 France. email: forest@cimrs1.mnhn.fr
+Present address: Department of Zoology, University of
Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand. email:
c.mclay@zool.canterbury.ac.nz
According to recent studies there are 60 species of hermit crabs living in the
New Zealand region, including the Kermadec Islands. All the major families of
the Paguridea are represented: Pylochelidae (7 species), Diogenidae (11),
Paguridae (33), and Parapaguridae (9). There are two distinct faunas, one
belonging to the subtropical Kermadec Islands and the other belonging to the
area of New Zealand itself. Only five species are shared. A feature of the
fauna is the high level of endemism, especially in the Diogenidae where it
reaches 73%. If we include New Caledonia and Eastern Australia, then 86% of the
Pylochelidae and 84% of the Paguridae are endemic to that region. The level of
endemism is higher for New Zealand (60%) than for the Kermadecs (35%). In
relation to depth, endemism in the intertidal zone is 67%, rising to 85% by
50 m, and remaining above 60% down to 200 m. Species living at
greater depths tend not to be endemic. By virtue of their deeper habitat, the
Pylochelidae (which retain many ancestral characters) and Parapaguridae
contribute very little to the list of endemics. Large eggs are a family
characteristic for the pylochelids, but are a generic character for the
diogenids. For the most part small eggs are a family characteristic of the
Paguridae. Hypotheses about the speciation of the hermit crabs in this region
are discussed. We argue that different mechanisms are important for the
speciation of the Diogenidae on the one hand and the Paguridae on the other.
Keywords distribution; Decapoda; evolution; South Pacific;
endemism; diversity; Diogenidae; Pylochelidae; Paguridae; Parapaguridae;
reproductive strategy; speciation
R00005 Received 5 April 2000; accepted 26 March 2001
(c) Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand,
Volume 31, Number 4, December 2001, pp 687-720
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1818K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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