Distribution patterns of intertidal and shallow water caprellids associated with macroalgae along the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

This study investigated the patterns of caprellids associated with macroalgae from the intertidal and shallow waters (0-5 m) of the Iberian Peninsula. Nineteen stations and 250 samples of algae demonstrated the presence of 46 algal species (22 intertidal and 24 subtidal). Eleven caprellid species dwelled in th ese macroalgae with Caprella penantis and C. acanthifera being the most abundant species. Caprella acanthifera , Phtisica marina and Pseudoprotella phasma inhabited the whole Peninsula; C. danilevskii , C. equilibra , C. fretensis and C. penantis showed Atlantic distribution, whereas C. grandimana , C. hirsuta , C. liparotensis and Deutella schieckei inhabited only Mediterranean sites and the Strait of Gibraltar. Caprellid species demonstrated low substrate specificity and associated themselves with many species of algae. Subtidal subtrates contained higher numbers of caprellid species than intertidal substrates. The highest number of caprellid species occurred on the algae Stypocaulon scoparium , Cystoseira spp., Corallina elongata , Jania rubens , Codium vermilara , Cladostephus spongiosus and Asparagopsis armata . Caprellid abundances were very high, both in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, reaching 12200 ind/ 1000 ml alga. In fact, caprellids are one of the dominant groups of associated fauna in the intertidal in comparison with other taxa. In spite of the high densities, caprellid diversity (in terms of number of species) in the intertidal and very shallow bottoms of the Iberian Peninsula is very low (11 species) in comparison with total caprellid diversity including deeper areas >5 m (ca. 40 species). Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that temperature and conductivity are the environmental variables that explain a clear Atlantic-Mediterranean gradient for caprellid distribution.