Agonistic Behaviour and Development of Territoriality During Ontogeny of the Sea Anemone Dwelling Crab Allopetrolisthes Spinifrons (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (Decapoda: Anomura: Porcellanidae)

Allopetrolisthes spinifrons is an ectosymbiotic crab of the sea anemone Phymactis clematis . As a consequence of low host abundance, these represent a scarce and limited resource for the crab. Additionally, the relatively small size of the sea anemone host suggests that few symbiotic crabs can cohabit on one host individual, forcing crabs to adopt a territorial behaviour. In order to examine the potential presence and ontogenetic development of territoriality, the agonistic behaviour between crabs of various ontogenetic stages (adults, juveniles, and recruits) was studied in the laboratory. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that adult or juvenile crabs aggressively defended their sea anemone hosts against adult or juvenile intruders, respectively, but both adult and juvenile crabs tolerated recruits. Adult crabs behaved indifferently towards juvenile crabs, sometimes tolerating them, sometimes expelling them. Recruits never showed agonistic behaviour among themselves. The agonistic interactions observed in the laboratory and the uniform population distribution pattern on sea anemones recently described for A . spinifrons indicate that this species exhibits territorial behaviour, which develops during ontogeny. Territoriality in this species and other symbiotic decapods may function as a density-dependent mechanism of population regulation, being mediated by the availability of hosts. Resource monopolisation behaviours may be common among other symbiotic and free-living marine invertebrates inhabiting discrete habitats that represent a limiting resource.     

Symbiosis of sea anemones and hermit crabs: different resource utilization patterns in the Aegean Sea

The small-scale distribution and resource utilization patterns of hermit crabs living in symbiosis with sea anemones were investigated in the Aegean Sea. Four hermit crab species, occupying shells of nine gastropod species, were found in symbiosis with the sea anemone Calliactis parasitica. Shell resource utilization patterns varied among hermit crabs, with Dardanus species utilizing a wide variety of shells. The size structure of hermit crab populations also affected shell resource utilization, with small-sized individuals inhabiting a larger variety of shells. Sea anemone utilization patterns varied both among hermit crab species and among residence shells, with larger crabs and shells hosting an increased abundance and biomass of C. parasitica. The examined biometric relationships suggested that small-sized crabs carry, proportionally to their weight, heavier shells and increased anemone biomass than larger ones. Exceptions to the above patterns are related either to local resource availability or to other environmental factors.     

Chemical recognition by hermit crabs of their symbiotic sea anemones and a predatory octopus

The ability of the hermit crabs Dardanus venosus and Pagurus pollicaris to recognize chemically their symbiotic sea anemone Calliactis tricolor and a common octopus predator, Octopus joubini, were studied. The crabs were tested for chemoreceptive responses using a Y-trough olfactometer, which prevented visual cues from being used. Choice tests showed that D. venosus could chemically detect Calliactis. If, however, D. venosus had a Calliactis on its shell at the time of the trial, it could not detect the test anemone. P. pollicaris (without a symbiotic anemone) did not locate the test anemone. Both species of crab avoided a water current carrying octopus chemical cues. Chemoreception may play an important role in the interaction of a hermit crab with its symbiotic anemone and an octopus predator.     

The effects of symbiotic crabs on the pumping activity and growth rates of Chaetopterus variopedatus

This study investigates how the presence of symbiotic crabs (Pinnixa chaetopterana or Polyonyx gibbesi) in the tubes of the polychaete Chaetopterus variopedatus affects the worms' pumping activity and growth rates under laboratory and field conditions. In the field, worms whose tubes are inhabited by Pinnixa beat their fan segments significantly more frequently than do worms hosting Polyonyx, but other measures of pumping activity do not differ according to symbiont species. In the lab, worms tend to move water through their tubes at higher rates when crabs are present. In 7-month laboratory experiments, growth rates of worms hosting either species of crab did not differ from growth rates of worms without crab symbionts. Although worms hosting Polyonyx are, on average, significantly larger than worms hosting Pinnixa, this appears to be due to competition between the crab species for hosts and not due to differential effects on host growth. Unlike the crabs in this study, pea crab species inhabiting bivalves are known to have strong deleterious effects on host growth and reproduction, suggesting that the evolution of virulence in symbiotic interactions is dependent upon specific ecological context.     

Testing the role of male–male competition in the evolution of sexual dimorphism: a comparison between two species of porcelain crabs

Theory predicts marked sexual dimorphism in terms of body size and body structures used as weapons (e.g. chelipeds) in gonochoric species with intense male sexual competition for receptive females and reduced or no sexual dimorphism in species where competition among males is trivial. We tested this hypothesis using a pair of closely‐related species of symbiotic porcelain crabs as a model. In one species that inhabits sea anemones solitarily, competition among males for receptive females is unimportant. In a second species that dwells as dense aggregations on sea urchins, male–male competition for sexual partners is recurrent. We expected considerable sexual dimorphism in body size and weaponry in the urchin‐dwelling crab and reduced sexual dimorphism in the anemone‐dwelling crab. In agreement with expectations, in the urchin‐dwelling crab, male body size was, on average, larger than that of females and males invested considerably more to cheliped length than females. Also supporting theoretical considerations, in the anemone‐dwelling crab, sexual dimorphism in terms of body size was not detected and differences between the sexes in investment to cheliped length were minor. Interestingly, chelipeds were more developed both in males and females of the anemone‐dwelling crab than in the urchin‐dwelling crab as a result of the importance of these structures for monopolization of their naturally scarce anemone hosts. Another difference between the studied species was the existence of two clearly distinguishable ontogenetic phases in males of the urchin‐dwelling crab but not in males of the anemone‐dwelling crab. Whether the two different male morphs display different male reproductive strategies in the urchin‐dwelling crab remains to be addressed. Other conditions that might additionally explain the observed differences in sexual dimorphism (e.g. female mate choice) between the studied species remain to be explored. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105 , 548–558.     

The sea anemone Calliactis tricolor and its association with the Hermit crab Dardanus venosus

The association of certain sea anemones and hermit crabs is established in different ways according to the species involved. The present study shows that the behaviour patterns of the two partners in associations between Calliactis tricolor (Lesueur) and Dardanus venosus (H. M. Edwards) in the Caribbean are similar to those seen in the Mediterranean C. parasitica and D. arrosor .
Although about half the crabs display an active behaviour pattern in laboratory trials, the anemone frequently settles on shells unaided and most C. tricolor respond to molluscan shells by clinging with their tentacles until the pedal disc can be attached. As a rule it is necessary for the anemone to relax and to cling to the shell if the crab is to be successful in transferring the anemone to its shell.
The behaviour patterns of D. venosus include a distinctive tapping of the edge of the base of C. tricolor after which the anemone is pulled or lifted off and transferred to the shell. An experimenter can also cause the anemone to relax and to detach itself by tapping the edge of the base with plastic rods after the manner of the crab.
The mechanisms by which the tentacles of Calliactis cling to, and by which the base settles upon, shells still remain to be elucidated. The participation of nematocysts in these processes could not be demonstrated in this study.
C. tricolor is found on some other pagurid and non-pagurid crabs in various localities. These associations need to be investigated fully in order that the behaviour patterns of C. tricolor may be correctly interpreted and compared with those of other species of Calliactis .     

Flexibility of nutritional strategies within a mutualism: food availability affects algal symbiont productivity in two congeneric sea anemone species

Mutualistic symbioses are common, especially in nutrient-poor environments where an association between hosts and symbionts can allow the symbiotic partners to persist and collectively out-compete non-symbiotic species. Usually these mutualisms are built on an intimate transfer of energy and nutrients (e.g. carbon and nitrogen) between host and symbiont. However, resource availability is not consistent, and the benefit of the symbiotic association can depend on the availability of resources to mutualists. We manipulated the diets of two temperate sea anemone species in the genus Anthopleura in the field and recorded the responses of sea anemones and algal symbionts in the family Symbiodiniaceae to our treatments. Algal symbiont density, symbiont volume and photosynthetic efficiency of symbionts responded to changes in sea anemone diet, but the responses depended on the species of sea anemone. We suggest that temperate sea anemones and their symbionts can respond to changes in anemone diet, modifying the balance between heterotrophy and autotrophy in the symbiosis. Our data support the hypothesis that symbionts are upregulated or downregulated based on food availability, allowing for a flexible nutritional strategy based on external resources.     

Agonistic interactions between invasive green crabs, Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus), and sub-adult American lobsters, Homarus americanus (Milne Edwards)

The invasive green crab, Carcinus maenas, has recently expanded its range into the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, where there is potential for substantial niche overlap with juvenile American lobsters, Homarus americanus. We used two experiments to elicit, record and analyze the agonistic interactions of adult green crabs (carapace width of 63-75 mm) and sub-adult (carapace length of 55-70 mm) lobsters. The first experiment gave each animal equal access to a limited food resource. The green crabs were first to the food in significantly more trials, spent a significantly greater proportion of time with the food, and were able to successfully defend the food from attacks by the heavier lobsters. In the second experiment, we allowed the lobsters to gain possession and initiate feeding on the food before releasing the green crabs. In these trials, the lobsters spent significantly more time with the food, and were able to defend the food from the green crabs. The results of both experiments are discussed in the context of game theory. The different behaviour of the crustaceans in the two experiments is consistent with the “bourgeois” strategy in a hawk and dove game simulation. With this strategy, an animal acts like a hawk if in possession of a resource, but acts like a dove if the other animal is in possession of the resource. The fact that the green crabs were able to physically compete with, and in many cases dominate the larger, heavier lobsters supports the potential for competitive impacts of green crabs on sub-adult lobsters.     

Agonistic interactions between the invasive green crab, Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus) and juvenile American lobster, Homarus americanus (Milne Edwards)

Invasive organisms have the potential for competition with native organisms. In the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, juvenile American lobsters have a potential spatial overlap with adult green crabs. Crustaceans use agonistic behaviour to settle disputes, with the larger organism often winning contests for limited resources such as food and shelter. Two experiments were carried out using adult green crabs (53-76 mm carapace width) and juvenile American lobsters (28-57 mm carapace length). The first experiment used a limited food resource. We found that green crabs were the first to the food in all trials, fed in significantly more trials than lobsters and spent a significantly greater proportion of time with the food. The lobsters were only able to displace the green crabs from the food in 2 of 65 attempts. The second experiment was designed to examine shelter competition; unexpectedly some predation by green crabs on lobsters occurred, which allowed us to test hypotheses about how relative size and shelter use affect predation. Green crabs captured and consumed juvenile lobsters in 6 of 11 trials. The lobsters that survived spent significantly more time in shelter. There was no clear relationship between shelter use and size of lobster. The lobsters that were larger in relation to the green crabs suffered a higher rate of predation, which we believe was due to more conspicuous activity and less use of shelter. It appears that green crabs have the potential to negatively impact native juvenile lobster.     

The diet of the Harlequin crab Lissocarcinus orbicularis,an obligate symbiont of sea cucumbers (holothuroids) belonging to the genera Thelenota,Bohadschia and Holothuria

The present paper characterizes, for the first time, the diet of the Harlequin crab Lissocarcinus orbicularis, an obligate symbiotic crab that associates with sea cucumbers (holothuroids) belonging to the genera Thelenota, Bohadschia and Holothuria. These tropical holothuroids host a rich symbiotic community in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean of which the Harlequin crab is the best known. The diet of L. orbicularis was characterized by analyzing the microscopic, molecular and isotopic signatures obtained from its gastric content. The presence of sea cucumber ossicles in the gastric mills of the crabs suggests that symbionts eat the superficial integument of their host and this was supported by the fact that Holothuroid DNA was detected in the stomach of L. orbicularis after DGGE and sequencing of the 18S rDNA gene. The stable isotopic δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of crab tissues were compared with diverse potential food sources including three holothuroids, three algae, one sea grass as well as the organic matter contained in the water column, in the sediment, and the second most abundant symbiont, the polychaete Gastrolepidia clavigera. The low δ¹⁵N values of crabs suggests that the crabs do not exclusively feed on sea cucumber tissue but assimilate diverse food sources such as sea grasses and organic matter contained in sediment that have similar δ¹³C values. There were no differences between the feeding of males and females but there was a positive correlation between the carapace length and the stable isotopic values indicating a shift of the food source as crabs grow larger.     

Impact scenario for the invasive red king crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralithodes camtschaticus</Emphasis> (Tilesius, 1815) (Reptantia,Lithodidae) on Norwegian,native, epibenthic prey

Large invasive predators like the king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, deserve particular attention due to their potential for catastrophic ecological impact on recipient communities. Conspicuous, epibenthic prey species, such as the slow growing commercial scallop Chlamys islandica, are particularly exposed to the risk of local extinction. A research program integrating experiments and field monitoring is attempting to predict and track the impact of invasive king crab on scallop beds and associated fauna along the north Norwegian coast. The claw gape of the crab shows no limitations in handling the flat-bodied scallop. However, the potential impact of the crab on scallop may depend on the availability of other calcified prey associated with scallop beds, such as the sea star, sea urchin, and blue mussel, all species recorded in the diet of P. camtschaticus. To address this issue, a laboratory experiment on foraging behaviour of P. camtschaticus was conducted. The experimental results show that all size classes of red king crab prefer scallops, but small juveniles and medium sized crabs demonstrate active selection for starfish (Asterias rubens) that equals or surpasses the electivity of the large crab. The selection of sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is slightly positive or neutral for the three crab size classes. These results suggest that scallop beds with a rich associated fauna are less vulnerable to red king crabs predation and possibly more resilient than beds with few associated species. Also, crab size distribution is likely relevant for invasion impact, with increasing abundance of small and medium sized crabs being detrimental for alternative calcified prey associated with scallop beds. Successive stages of crab invasion will see an acceleration of scallop mortality rates associated with (i) decreasing availability of alternative prey, due to protracted predation pressure intensified by recruitment of juvenile crabs, and (ii) increased number of large crabs. Estimates of crab density and intake rates suggest that the accelerated loss rates will eventually endanger scallop beds persistence.     

Experimental infections of Orchitophrya stellarum (Scuticociliata) in American blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and fiddler crabs (Uca minax)

Outbreaks of an unidentified ciliate have occurred on several occasions in blue crabs from Chesapeake Bay held during winter months in flow-through systems. The parasite was initially thought to be Mesanophrys chesapeakensis, but molecular analysis identified it as Orchitophyra stellarum, a facultative parasite of sea stars (Asteroidea). We investigated the host-parasite association of O. stellarum in the blue crab host. Crabs were inoculated with the ciliate, or they were held in bath exposures after experimentally induced autotomy of limbs in order to determine potential mechanisms for infection. Crabs inoculated with the ciliate, or exposed to it after experimental autotomy, rapidly developed fatal infections. Crabs that were not experimentally injured, but were exposed to the ciliate, rarely developed infections; thus, indicating that the parasite requires a wound or break in the cuticle as a portal of entry. For comparative purposes, fiddler crabs, Uca minax, were inoculated with the ciliate in a dose-titration experiment. Low doses of the ciliate (10 per crab) were sometimes able to establish infections, but high intensity infections developed quickly at doses over 500 ciliates per crab. Chemotaxis studies were initiated to determine if the ciliate preferentially selected blue crab serum (BCS) over other nutrient sources. Cultures grown on medium with BCS or fetal bovine serum showed some conditioning in their selection for different media, but the outcome in choice experiments indicated that the ciliate was attracted to BCS and not seawater. Our findings indicate that O. stellarum is a facultative parasite of blue crabs. It can cause infections in exposed crabs at 10–15 °C, but it requires a portal of entry for successful host invasion, and it may find injured hosts using chemotaxis.     

Predation on symbiont sea anemones by their host hermit crab Dardanus pedunculatus

Feeding by host hermit crabs Dardanus pedunculatus on their symbiotic sea anemones Calliactis polypus was investigated using animals collected at Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. In the first experiment, changes in the number of sea anemones on hermit crab shells were recorded in single‐and double‐crab trials without food and single‐crab trials with food. The number of sea anemones significantly decreased under starved conditions. The extent of this decrease per single hermit crab was higher in the double‐crab trials than in the single‐crab trials. Direct observations and video recordings showed that hermit crabs occasionally removed sea anemones from their own shells, and also from partners’ shells in the double‐crab trials, and consumed them. In the second experiment, fed and unfed hermit crabs with or without sea anemones were examined for body weight changes. Fed hermit crabs gained weight whereas unfed hermit crabs lost it. The degree of weight loss in unfed hermit crabs was significantly higher in those without sea anemones, which indicates some value of the latter as food. We offer some speculations on the course of development of this symbiosis, with predation on sea anemones having played an important initial role.     

Estimation of foraging on the sea urchin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis</Emphasis> (Echinoidea: Echinoida) by the red king crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralithodes camtschaticus</Emphasis> (Malacostraca: Decapoda) in coastal waters of the Barents Sea

A new method for the estimation of foraging on the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (O.F. Müller, 1776) by the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius, 1815) is proposed. This method uses the reconstruction of the size, number, and biomass of eaten sea urchins, based on fragments of their teeth and tests from the crab’s digestive tract. Data obtained by this method suggest that in shallow waters of the Barents Sea (Kola Bay, Dal’nezelenetskaya Bay) adult, most often, female and immature crabs predominantly consume juvenile sea urchins. The weight of sea urchins daily eaten by one adult red king crab was 0.2–8.0% of its body weight for sexually mature crabs and 3.0–28.0% for immature specimens. Damage inflicted to the S. droebachiensis population as a result of the crab feeding activity was estimated to be at least 10% of the sea urchin biomass in Dal’nezelenetskaya Inlet and at least 30% in Kola Bay.     

Gastropod shells: A dynamic resource that helps shape benthic community structure

Empty gastropod shells are an important resource for many animals in shallow benthic marine communities. Shells provide shelter for hermit crabs, octopuses, and fishes, provide attachment substratum for hermit crab symbionts, and directly or indirectly modify hermit crab predation. Creation of an empty shell due to predation of one gastropod on another and acquisition of that shell by a hermit crab are two key events in the subsequent use of that shell. Shells of different gastropod species and the species of hermit crab acquiring them affect the symbiont complement that attaches to the shell, which in turn may affect future shell use by other symbionts. Certain shell types worn by the hermit crab, Pagurus pollicaris Say, are positively associated with the symbiotic sea anemone, Calliactis tricolor (Lesueur), which protects the hermit crab from predation by the crab, Calappa flammea (Herbst), and possibly from the octopus, Octopus joubini Robson. Shells of other species of gastropods are resistant to being crushed by the spiny lobster, Panulirusargus (Latreille). The inter-and intraspecific interactions centered on the gastropod shell are termed a “habitat web.” The potential of the shell to limit the size and distribution of animal populations demonstrates how this resource helps shape community structure.     

Reproductive costs of the symbiotic hydroid Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus (Buss and Yund) to its host hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus (Say)

Studies on the interaction between the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus and its symbiotic hydroid Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus have focused on positive effects of hydroids on their host hermit crabs (e.g., protection from predators). Yet, these benefits may be balanced with reproductive costs, which are rarely studied. Results from field observations, laboratory trials, and a mesocosm experiment indicate that female hermit crabs in hydroid-colonized shells exhibit depressed ovigery, smaller clutch sizes, and increased clutch failure relative to females in bare shells. Frequent switching between bare and hydroid-colonized shells may alleviate negative effects when the density of hydroids in the environment is low, but at high densities Hydractinia may significantly impact hermit crab reproduction.     

Effects of anemonefish on giant sea anemones: expansion behavior,growth, and survival

The symbiosis between giant sea anemones and anemonefish on coral reefs is well known, but little information exists on impacts of this interaction on the sea anemone host. On a coral reef at Eilat, northern Red Sea, individuals of the sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor that possessed endemic anemonefish Amphiprion bicinctus expanded their tentacles significantly more frequently than did those lacking anemonefish. When anemonefish were experimentally removed, sea anemone hosts contracted partially. Within 1–4 h in most cases, individuals of the butterflyfish Chaetodon fasciatus arrived and attacked the sea anemones, causing them to contract completely into reef holes. Upon the experimental return of anemonefish, the anemone hosts re-expanded. The long-term growth rate and survival of the sea anemones depended on the size and number of their anemonefish. Over several years, sea anemones possessing small or no fish exhibited negative growth (shrinkage) and eventually disappeared, while those with at least one large fish survived and grew. We conclude that host sea anemones sense the presence of symbiotic anemonefish via chemical and/or mechanical cues, and react by altering their expansion behavior. Host sea anemones that lack anemonefish large enough to defend them against predation may remain contracted in reef holes, unable to feed or expose their tentacles for photosynthesis, resulting in their shrinkage and eventual death.     

Do the Anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris (Pisces: Pomacentridae) Imprint Themselves to Their Host Sea Anemone Heteractis magnifica (Anthozoa: Actinidae)?

Juvenile anemonefishes detect their host sea anemone by olfactory stimuli; in order to investigate whether this behaviour is innate or acquired, the anemonefish species Amphiprion ocellaris was bred in two different ways: 1. With no host sea anemone present at all (–A); and 2. With the specific host sea anemone Heteractis magnifica present in the hatching aquarium, so that these eggs were laid and hatched close to the sea anemone, as in nature (+A). The two different types of juvenile A. ocellaris were presented to the odours of the host sea anemone H. magnifica in two sets of short-term experiments with the host (a) visually hidden in a net cage, and (b) visible but physically separated from the anemonefishes. In both cases, a water flow was established between fishes and host. The +A-fishes found their host by olfactory and not by visual stimuli. In both series, the –A-fishes showed a significantly lower affinity behaviour towards the odour compounds from the host sea anemone than the +A-fishes did. A third type of experiment was a direct confrontation between fishes and host; here, the –A-fishes were indifferent towards the host sea anemone for almost 48 h, while the +A-fishes acclimated to the host sea anemone within the first 5 min of the direct confrontation. The results of this study suggest that Amphiprion ocellaris imprints itself olfactorily to its species-specific host sea anemone Heteractis magnifica, and, furthermore, may be genetically disposed towards olfactory recognition of the host sea anemone.     

Disentangling interference competition from exploitative competition in a crab–bivalve system using a novel experimental approach

In predator–prey relationships such as those between crabs and their bivalve prey, interference competition is a topic of intense investigation as it can have profound consequences on the dynamics of both predator and prey populations. However in laboratory experiments – also those on crab–bivalve systems – workers never adequately disentangled interference competition from exploitative competition, as prey depletion was never compensated. Hitherto, experimental studies on crab–bivalve systems lack direct behavioural observations and have provided only indirect and thus inconclusive evidence of interference competition. We studied interference competition in adult male shore crabs Carcinus maenas that foraged on blue mussels Mytilus edulis. We developed a novel type of experimental tank to replenish each consumed mussel, and thus to keep prey levels constant. We conducted two experiments in which we varied number of crabs (1, 2, 4) and number of mussels (first experiment: 4, 8, 16, 32; second experiment: 8, 32, 128) and directly observed the foraging behaviour of crabs (foraging area=0.25 m²). In the first experiment, feeding rates decreased with increasing crab density only at mussel density 16 because both search time and time spent in agonistic interactions increased. At other mussel densities, variation in crab density did not affect feeding rates, possibly because of low statistical power and the narrow range of mussel densities offered. In the second experiment feeding rates decreased with increasing crab density because crabs spent more time in agonistic interactions and handling their prey. Feeding rates increased with increasing mussel density. Overall, crabs spent on average 14–18% of their foraging time in agonistic behaviours, while on three out of 64 occasions feeding rates decreased because mussels were stolen (kleptoparasitism). Concluding, we have shown that interference competition occurs in absence of prey depletion, while conducting direct behavioural observations aid to identify the behavioural processes that underlie interference competition.     

Phylogenetic ecology of gall crabs (Cryptochiridae) as associates of mushroom corals (Fungiidae)

Coral‐associated fauna is a relatively understudied topic. Hence, the nature of the relationship between an associated organism and its host is usually unknown. In the present study, the obligate associations between gall crabs (Decapoda: Cryptochiridae) and mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) are reviewed from a phylogenetic perspective. Based on field surveys, examination of museum material and a literature review, a total of 35 fungiid species have been found that act as hosts for four gall crab species. Fungiid‐associated gall crabs appear to be more geographically widespread than previously known, with new records showing their occurrences from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean all the way to the central Pacific Ocean. The obligate nature of the association between cryptochirids and their hosts makes them an ideal model taxon to test for possible cospeciation events. The congruence between their phylogenies was tested by using the program Jane 4.0, resulting in cospeciation and duplication events between the crabs and their host corals. The sharing of several closely related host coral species by the same gall crab species or genus may provide support to models indicating phylogenetic relationships within the Scleractinia.