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Sacculina carcini

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Species of barnacle

Sacculina carcini

Sacculina carcini (highlighted) attached to a female Liocarcinus crab

Scientific classification

Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Arthropoda

Clade:

Pancrustacea

Class:

Thecostraca

Subclass:

Cirripedia

Family:

Sacculinidae

Genus:

Sacculina

Species:

S. carcini

Binomial name

Sacculina carcini<br>Thompson, 1836 [1]

Synonyms[1]

List

*Grapsisaccus benedeni (Kossmann, 1872)<br>Pachybdella rathkei Diesing, 1850

Peltogaster carcini Rathke, 1843

Portunascus corrugatus Giard & Bonnier, 1890

Sacculina andersonii Giard, 1887

Sacculina bellii Giard, 1888

Sacculina benedeni Kossmann, 1872

Sacculina betencourti Giard, 1887

Sacculina gibbsii (Hesse, 1867)

Sacculina pauli Popov, 1929

Sacculina pirimelae Guérin-Ganivet, 1911

Sacculina pisae Hoek, 1878

Sacculina priei Giard, 1887

Sacculina similis Giard in Bonnier, 1887

Sacculina carcini , the crab hacker barnacle ,[2] is a species of parasitic barnacle in the family Sacculinidae, in particular a parasitic castrator, of crabs. The crab that most often is used as a host is the green crab, the natural range of which is the coasts of Europe and North Africa.[2] It can be found attached to the crab's abdomen and affects consumption rates by humans.[3]

Rhizocephala<br>[edit]

Rhizocephala. A–H, life cycle stages and larval morphology of selected Rhizocephala. A, Nauplius larva of Sacculina carcini. B, Male cyprid of S. carcini. C, Settled male cyprid of Lernaeodiscus porcellanae in the mantle aperture of a virginal female reproductive body (externa). D, Male trichogon of S. carcini dissected from the mantle cavity of a virginal female externa. E, Female cypris of S. carcini. F, Kentrogon of S. carcini, inside the empty cuticle of the spent female cyprid, in the process of injecting the primordial parasite. G, Vermigon of Loxothylacus panopaei. H, Scanning electron micrograph of Peltogaster curvata, showing the reproductive sac (externa) connected to the ramified internal root system. I-P, Diversity of Rhizocephala externae on various hosts.<br>The Kentrogonida order contains the Sacculinidae family, known for their ability to induce parasitic sterilization in crabs. The genus Sacculina established by Thompson in 1836 contains 129 species. Among these, Sacculina carcini was the first and most studied barnacle parasite.[4]

Appearance<br>[edit]

Individual Sacculina carcini differ greatly between males and females. The female barnacles look like small slugs between entering the crab and infecting it. Once they have infected their host, they begin to develop and grow tendrils.[3] This allows them to get the nutrients that it needs from their host. Over time, it can be seen hanging off the crab's abdomen filled with reproductive tissue. The male parasites are much smaller and serve only to help the female Sacculina carcini reproduce.[3]

Distribution and habitat<br>[edit]

Sacculina carcini is a monoxenic parasite of crabs, most commonly the green crab (Carcinus maenas). They have also been found to infect the Carcinus aestuarii, Liocarcinus depurator (Harbour crab), Pirimela denticulata, Necora puber (Velvet crab), and the Liocarcinus holsatus (Flying crab).[2][3] The parasite's range largely coincides with that of this host, which is usually the coasts of Western Europe and North Africa. The green crab, however, has been expanding its range and has become established in both North and South America, Southern Africa and Australia, so it is possible that the parasite is now present outside its natural territory.[3] These crabs all live in shallow water over sandy, rocky, or muddy substrates.[2]

Life cycle<br>[edit]

A female Sacculina carcini larva settles on a suitable crab host and crawls across its surface until it finds a suitable spot such as the base of a seta (bristle). It then develops into a form called a kentrogon, which inserts a stylet into the crab and pushes its way inside. In order to do this, she has to shed her outer hard shell first.[5] From there it moves through the inside of the crab, in due course pushing out a sac, known as an externa, on the underside of the crab's abdomen. The part remaining inside, the interna, develops tendrils which spread throughout the crab. They take over the stomach, intestines, and nervous system to absorb nourishment and enable the parasite to control the behavior of its host.[6][7]

The presence of the parasite inhibits the development of the crab's gonads, which eventually atrophy; it also prevents the crab from molting, consequently preventing it from regenerating lost limbs. The parasite causes a male crab to develop certain feminine characteristics including the broadening of its...