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The majority of the studies on sea turtle epibionts refer to the epibiotic assemblages of adult sea turtles. However, recent studies involving juvenile loggerheads (Caretta caretta) (Frick et al. 2003a) present new associations that demonstrate the need for further investigation and research projects concerning sea turtle epibiosis in feeding and development grounds. As a result, we initiated a study of the epibionts associated with a foraging population of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in southeast Brazil.

Epibionts of fifty juvenile green turtles (curved carapace length = 39.6 cm ± 5.69 SD and curved carapace width = 36.4 cm ± 5.57 SD) from Cananéia, southeast Brazil, were collected during the activities carried out by Projeto Tartarugas – IPeC (Bondioli et al. 2005) in 2007, between January and September. Forty were captured by local fishermen that use artisanal fish traps, the “cercos-fixos”, where turtles remain alive and unharmed (Nagaoka et al. 2005). Ten of them were found dead on local beaches during beach monitoring activities. The biometric data of turtles were collected (Bolten 1999), the animals were photographed and immediately released into the sea or left on the beach when found dead.

The macroscopic fauna were collected from turtles using small forceps and spatulas. The invertebrates collected were fixed and preserved in 70% ethanol with the exception of marine leeches that were pressed between two slides, fixed with AFA and later preserved in ethanol. The epizoans collected were quantified and identified to the lowest taxon possible. The material collected was deposited in the Instituto de Pesquisas Cananéia collection and in the Museu de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo.

Fifteen invertebrate species were collected from fifty sea turtles (Table 1). Data on abundance and maximum number on hosts were not collected for the leech Ozobranchus branchiatus (Figure 1D) because of the difficulty in collecting all of the specimens present. These animals were found associated with the soft body parts of the turtle such as the neck, tail and flippers. This parasite was observed only between the months of January and March.

Table 1. Epibiotic species that occurred in association with Chelonia mydas in Cananéia, Southeast Brazil, (*) denotes first record of association in Brazilian waters.

Cirripeds were the most frequent group observed as epibionts. Chelonibia testudinaria and Platylepas hexastylos (Balanomorpha: Coronuloidea) occurred with the highest frequency. Lepas anatifera occurred in the highest quantity on the same turtle and was always observed associated with two other species of the same genus, L. anserifera (Figure 1A) and L. hilli.

Figure 1. Epibionts collected from juvenile green turtles, in Cananéia, Southeast Brazil. See text for details.

The amphipod Caprella sp. (Figure 1E & F) was found in association with a single turtle although in high abundance, representing both males and females. Polychaete worms (Neanthes spp.) also occurred in low frequency and abundance. Bivalves of the Family Ostreiidae (Figure 1C) also occurred in low frequency and occurred only on turtle carapaces; however, the abundance was high: 60 specimens. The results of the present study show that diverse fauna may be associated with juvenile green turtles. Fifteen invertebrate species were recorded, of which seven have been previously recorded in association with green turtles in Brazilian waters (Bugoni et al. 2001, Pereira et al. 2006, Shlenz 1999, Young 1990).

The barnacles found in high frequency coincide with the results of Bugoni et al. (2001) for green turtles in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and Pereira et al. (2006) who found 100% frequency for C. testudinaria on green turtles in Almofala, Ceará, Brazil. These barnacle species are primarily classified as specific epibionts of sea turtles, although there are some isolated records from other hosts (Monroe & Limpus 1979).

Barnacles of the genus Amphibalanus (Family Balanidae) are cosmopolitan and occur frequently in the region in association with other surfaces such as shells and artificial substrates. These barnacles are considered non-obligate epizoans. This work presents the first record of Amphibalanus amphitrite, A. reticulatus and A. trigonus species in association with green turtles in Brazilian waters.

Lepadomorph barnacles (Lepas and Conchoderma) are commonly attached to floating objects. In this study they were collected from dead or weak turtles that probably spent a long period floating at the water’s surface, which favored the incrustation of these invertebrate species. Ours are the first records of L. anserifera and L. hilli as epizoans of green turtles in Brazil.

Polychaete worms have been recorded in association with C. caretta (Kitsos et al. 2005), however, this is the first record of this genus as an epibiont of green turtles from the Southwestern Atlantic. Another polychaete worm, Pseudonereis palpate, we collected is the first record of this association with sea turtles in Brazil.

Caprellid amphipods (genus Caprella) have been recorded in association with olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) and loggerheads (Caine 1986, Frick et al. 1998, Frick et al. 2003a, Kitsos et al. 2005, Vivaldo et al. 2006) in other parts of the world. Ours is the first record of this association in sea turtles in Brazil. Similarly, oysters have been found in association with loggerheads (Caine 1986, Frazier et al. 1985, Frick et al. 1998, Kitsos et al. 2005), but ours is the first record of these bivalves from C. mydas in Brazil.

Ozobranchus branchiatus is considered a specific sea turtle ectoparasite and they have been reported from turtles in our region before (Schlenz 1999). Specific information we have to add regarding this association is that these leeches were observed only in the summer in the hosts in the study and none of them had leeches associated with fibropapiloma tumors, however, this association between tumors and leeches had already been observed in some sea turtles in this region (Bondioli et al. 2007).

Globally, the majority of the studies about epibionts and sea turtles involve nesting adult females, especially loggerheads and hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata) (Frick et al. 2003b, Frick et al. 2004, Kistos et al. 2003, Kistos et al. 2005) and our results further demonstrate that research involving the epibionts associated with juvenile turtles are needed, as even generalized studies cataloging the epibiotic species present yield new records for regions that have been extensively surveyed in the past.

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Dr. Fabio Pitombo and Dr. Cynthia Santos for helping in some identifications, Luciana Alonso for collaborations, Nathalia Cristina Fidelis Bahia for helping in the field work and the anonymous reviewers.

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