The Brazilian coast is home to two species of Majoid crabs: Libinia ferreirae and Libinia spinosa, with similar habits, as they live in symbiosis with the jellyfish Lychnorhiza lucerna during their juvenile stage and dwell on the bottom of the ocean near the coast when adults. This study investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of L. ferreirae and L. spinosa during different ontogenic phases on the south and south‐eastern coast of Brazil, between latitudes 22º and 27ºS. Our results showed that both species have different distributions during their development in the three studied regions. Libinia ferreirae were more abundant associated with jellyfish, and L. spinosa were more abundant in the free‐living phase. Environmental factors, especially temperature and salinity, for associated and free‐living crabs, respectively, are the main factors that need to be supported for the establishment of these specimens. We were able to identify that the presence or absence of hosts (given the ecological interactions between the species) is determinant in finding the associated crabs. Geographical variations (morphology of the regions, marine currents and the strength of the tide) are linked directly to the movement of the jellyfish hosts to the coast, influencing the abundance of L. fereirae and L. spinosa populations and affecting their distribution patterns. We can infer that both species are connected with other populations because of the association with the jellyfish, crabs could be passively transported along the south and south‐eastern coast of Brazil, maintaining the connection between metapopulations.

中文翻译：

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共生螃蟹Libinia ferreirae和Libinia spinosa的地理生态：巴西南部和东南海岸的分布模式

巴西沿岸有两种大角蟹的栖息地：利比里亚（Libinia ferreirae）和利比里亚（Libinia spinosa），具有相似的习性，因为它们在幼年阶段与海Ly（Lychnorhiza lucerna）共生，成年后生活在靠近海岸的海底。这项研究调查了巴西南部和东南海岸在22º和27º纬度之间，在不同的成因期，费氏乳杆菌和刺棘乳杆菌的时空分布。我们的结果表明，这三个物种在三个研究区域的发育过程中都有不同的分布。铁bin（Libinia ferreirae）与水母相关的含量更高，并且在自由生活阶段，L。spinosa更为丰富。环境因素，特别是与之相关的和自由活动的螃蟹的温度和盐度，分别是建立这些标本所需要支持的主要因素。我们能够确定宿主的存在与否（鉴于物种之间的生态相互作用）是找到相关蟹的决定因素。地理变化（区域形态，洋流和潮汐强度）直接与水母寄主向海岸的移动有关，从而影响了费雷湖和棘刺鱼的丰度。人口及其分布方式。我们可以推断，由于与水母的关系，这两个物种都与其他种群有联系，螃蟹可以在巴西的南部和东南沿海被被动运输，从而保持了种群之间的联系。