Rocky outcrops in the intertidal zones of estuaries often contain a highly diverse microbenthic community which includes the hermit crab, Clibanarius symmetricus, an abundant species on the equatorial Amazon coast. However, the ecology of this anomuran is poorly understood. Given this, the present study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution and structure of the C. symmetricus populations that inhabit the rocky outcrops of the Marapanim estuary in northern Brazil. Samples were collected monthly over a yearly cycle covering both the dry and rainy seasons in the upper and lower midlittoral zones during low tide. |
