Abstract

"Abstract: Caprella ungulina Mayer, 1903 is recorded from shallow waters (50 to 100 m depth) off Navarino Island (55°03’ S, 67°33’ W) and Dawson Island (54°04’ S, 70°24’ W), austral Chile. The material examined (N=289 caprellids) was collected mainly in the mouthparts (55%) of the edible crustacean Paralomis granulosa during 2016 fishery season. The percentage of epibiosis varied between 1.8 and 14.8% of the total host sampled, being collected mainly one caprellid by crab. The mortality of C. ungulina by effects of the P granulosa fishery during 2015 in Magallanes (l,965 ton) produced between 255,450 and 1,061,100 specimens (mean epibiosis of 6.7% ± 4,1%). The mortality by fishing on P granulosa could affect negatively the population dynamic of C. ungulina if is confirmed a high specificity for this biohabitat and the remotion of juveniles that could not reach the reproductive maturity. It is proposed that the ecological relationship between C. ungulina and P granulosa could be defined as comensalism under the following reasons: 1) the guest is largest than the species hosted, 2) the relatively specific relationship between both species, 3) use of food waste provided by the host, 4) use of host as a cryptic habitat, 5) the contribution in transport of the host and 6) physical shelter."