Symbiosis, behavior and adaptive coloration in marine decapod Crustacea

Decapods are among the best-known crustaceans, ranging from tiny shrimp to crabs with a leg span of up to nearly 4 m. Major predators, disturbers of sediments, and elements of food chains, these animals are found in almost all marine habitats. New species continue to be found. Of those already known to science, often the descriptions are very old and lack details needed for more modern comparative work. Genetic studies are in their infancy. My graduate students currently are studying the ecology of decapods and other crustaceans along the poorly-studied Texas coast.

Dr. Wicksten and her students have been active in studying the biota of local marshes, beaches and springs. Despite their abundance, some of these common shrimps and other crustaceans largely have been ignored and their contributions to local ecosystems remain largely unstudied. Using genetic studies, we have determined that some of these species in fact are species complexes, or their supposed relationships to others are not supported. Some of these species could be endangered; others harbor parasites that can be passed to wading birds.

New remotely operated vehicles can operate at depths of 4000 m or more and transmit live video feed and high resolution still photos directly from the sea floor to my office. These images show animals previously known only from broken bleached dead specimens as living animals in their natural habitat. I cooperate in identifying these crustaceans as best as possible in the absence of specimens. I have been able to correlate “morphospecies” with particular host corals or sponges. I am working on new syntheses on biogeography of decapods at 700-4400 m, host specificity and behavior. With thousands of available photographs from the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific, I am happy to accommodate undergraduate and graduate students looking for projects.

1. Wicksten, MK, Conway, KW. The Chirostyloidea of the Northeastern Pacific: Host Associations, Range Extensions and a New Species (Decapoda: Anomura). Zootaxa. 2023;5284 (1):167-176. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5284.1.7. PubMed PMID:37518744 .
2. Wicksten, MK, Conway, KW. Erratum: MARY K. WICKSTEN & KEVIN W. CONWAY (2023) The Chirostyloidea of the Northeastern Pacific: Host Associations, Range Extensions and a New Species (Decapoda: Anomura) Zootaxa 5284 (1): 167-176. Zootaxa. 2023;5306 (5):600. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5306.5.9. PubMed PMID:37518662 .
3. Arnés-Urgellés, C, Buglass, S, Ahyong, ST, Salinas-de-León, P, Wicksten, MK, Marsh, L et al.. Arthropoda; Crustacea; Decapoda of deep-sea volcanic habitats of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Tropical Eastern Pacific. Biodivers Data J. 2020;8 :e54482. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e54482. PubMed PMID:32973394 PubMed Central PMC7483338.
4. Salinas-de-León, P, Martí-Puig, P, Buglass, S, Arnés-Urgellés, C, Rastoin-Laplane, E, Creemers, M et al.. Characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna of the Galapagos Islands. Sci Rep. 2020;10 (1):13894. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-70744-1. PubMed PMID:32807819 PubMed Central PMC7431423.
5. Baba, K, Wicksten, MK. Chirostyloidean squat lobsters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from the Galapagos Islands. Zootaxa. 2019;4564 (2):zootaxa.4564.2.5. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4564.2.5. PubMed PMID:31716504 .
6. Hancock, ZB, Goeke, JA, Wicksten, MK. A sea anemone of many names: a review of the taxonomy and distribution of the invasive actiniarian Diadumene lineata (Diadumenidae), with records of its reappearance on the Texas coast. Zookeys. 2017; (706):1-15. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.706.19848. PubMed PMID:29118617 PubMed Central PMC5674082.
7. Amon, DJ, Ziegler, AF, Drazen, JC, Grischenko, AV, Leitner, AB, Lindsay, DJ et al.. Megafauna of the UKSRL exploration contract area and eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean: Annelida, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, Chordata, Ctenophora, Mollusca. Biodivers Data J. 2017; (5):e14598. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.5.e14598. PubMed PMID:28874906 PubMed Central PMC5565845.
8. Baba, K, Wicksten, MK. Uroptychus nitidus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1880) and related species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Chirostylidae) from the western Atlantic. Zootaxa. 2017;4221 (3):zootaxa.4221.3.1. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4221.3.1. PubMed PMID:28187664 .
9. Baba, K, Wicksten, MK. Uroptychus atlanticus, a new species of squat lobster (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Chirostylidae) from the western Atlantic Ocean. Zootaxa. 2017;4227 (2):zootaxa.4227.2.10. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4227.2.10. PubMed PMID:28187590 .
10. Wicksten, MK, Nuttall, MF, Hickerson, EL. Crustaceans from antipatharians on banks of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Zookeys. 2014; (457):45-54. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.457.6280. PubMed PMID:25561830 PubMed Central PMC4283364.