Constraints imposed by the major cheliped on burrow construction in the male fiddler crab, Uca annulipes (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)

In fiddler crabs both males and females defend territories that are essential for survival. Given pronounced sexual dimorphism in weaponry, how do weaponless females defend their territory from well-armed males? Using observational data and two simple experiments, we test whether male Uca annulipes protect their female neighbours from conspecific intruders. We show that males defend their female neighbours against male but not female intruders. We also show that females sometimes mate with their immediate neighbours. Male defence of female neighbours appears to represent both pre-copulatory mate-guarding and a territorial coalition. Males who ensure that their neighbour remains female could benefit through increased opportunity for future reproductive success and lower boundary maintenance costs.

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IDENTIFIKASI JENIS KEPITING BIOLA DI HUTAN MANGROVE DUSUN SETINGGA ASINDESA SEBUBUS KECAMATAN PALOH KABUPATEN SAMBAS

JURNAL HUTAN LESTARI ◽

10.26418/jhl.v8i1.39385 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Edy Kurniawan ◽

M Sofwan Anwari ◽

M Dirhamsyah

Keyword(s):

Sampling Method ◽

Fiddler Crab ◽

Sandy Beaches ◽

Mangrove Forests ◽

Crab Species ◽

Fiddler Crabs ◽

Purposive Sampling ◽

Plot Size ◽

Uca Annulipes

The fiddler crab is also known as the kepiting biola is an animal that has broad legs that belong to the Crustacean class. Fiddler crab is a type of crab that has a habitat in intertidal areas, especially around mangrove forests and sandy beaches. This study aims to examine the identification of fiddler crab species found in the Mangrove Sebubus. The method used in this research is purposive sampling method with the use of a square plot size of 1 x 1 meter as many as 30 pieces in 3 research lines. The results showed as many as 7 species of fiddler crabs found there, that is Uca annulipes, Uca rosea, Uca forcipata, Uca bellator, Uca tetragonon, Uca paradussumieri, and Uca acuta.Keywords: Identification, Fiddler Crab, Mangrove Sebubus

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Distinguishing ten sympatric species of fiddler crab (Decapoda: Ocypodidae) using a suite of phenotypic characteristics

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.5026.4.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5026 (4) ◽

pp. 480-506

Author(s):

LAURA A. MICHIE ◽

R. S. K. BARNES ◽

PAUL F. CLARK ◽

WAYNE A. BENNETT ◽

SIMON M. CRAGG

Keyword(s):

Fiddler Crab ◽

Taxonomic Revision ◽

Field Studies ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Phenotypic Characteristics ◽

Biogeographic Region ◽

Males And Females ◽

First Time ◽

The Village ◽

Major Cheliped

Ten species of fiddler crab are reported inhabiting the intertidal zone of a shore on Kaledupa Island, Indonesia. This is one of the highest recorded numbers of fiddler crab species living in sympatry, equating to over two-thirds of those known from the Wallacea biogeographic region and more than half of all those recorded from Indonesia. The descriptions to identify and distinguish these ten species are provided using a suite of characters e.g., carapace, major cheliped, male gonopods, gastric mills, life colouration in males and females, and notes on their ecology and distribution. Specimens were observed and collected in the Wakatobi National Park, near the village of Ambeua on Kaledupa island, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia. Gastric mills are described for the first time for Gelasimus jocelynae, Paraleptuca crassipes, Tubuca coarctata, T. demani and T. dussumieri. A tabulation of anatomical features and colouration for all species in this study is provided as a support for field studies. It identifies features that support the recently proposed taxonomic revision of fiddler crabs by Shih et al. (2016).

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Differences in the Use of Cheliped Autotomy by the Mud Fiddler Crab Uca Pugnax (Smith, 1870) (Decapoda, Ocypodidae) When Escaping Predation by the Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus (Rathbun, 1896)

Crustaceana ◽

10.1163/156854011x594795 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 84 (11) ◽

pp. 1281-1293 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. C. Curran ◽

M. M. Mace III

Keyword(s):

Blue Crab ◽

Visual Stimulus ◽

Fiddler Crab ◽

Callinectes Sapidus ◽

Large Male ◽

Effective Strategy ◽

Uca Pugnax ◽

Fiddler Crabs ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Major Cheliped

AbstractAutotomy of limbs has been observed for a variety of organisms and in some taxa has been shown to be an effective strategy for escaping predation. We investigated differences in the use of cheliped autotomy by small and large male fiddler crabs during predation events, and also assessed if autotomy of the major cheliped allowed male fiddler crabs to escape predation more often than females. The blue crab Callinectes sapidus was presented with 5 small and 5 large male mud fiddler crabs Uca pugnax (n = 60), and in a second experiment, 5 male and 5 female U. pugnax were presented to C. sapidus (n = 60). Large U. pugnax autotomized their major cheliped more often and survived compared to small U. pugnax (n = 22 pools, S = 96.5, p < 0.0001), although this difference was not significant when adjusted for the total number of attacks on each size (n = 22 pools, S = 45, p = 0.1467). There was no significant difference (n = 29 pools, S = 30.5, p = 0.4988) between the total number of unsuccessful attacks on male versus female U. pugnax. At least half of the males autotomized their major cheliped in unsuccessful attacks during the first (69%) and second (53%) experiments. The major cheliped of male U. pugnax is a prominent visual stimulus that may have initially attracted C. sapidus to this prey; however, autotomization potentially enabled male fiddler crabs to escape predation in over half of all unsuccessful attacks.

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Genetic and morphological separation of Uca occidentalis, a new East African fiddler crab species, from Uca annulipes (H. Milne Edward, 1837) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae)

Zoologischer Anzeiger ◽

10.1016/j.jcz.2016.03.010 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 262 ◽

pp. 10-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Reza Naderloo ◽

Christoph D. Schubart ◽

Hsi-Te Shih

Keyword(s):

Fiddler Crab ◽

Crab Species ◽

East African ◽

Uca Annulipes

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Morphological variability in populations of the fiddler crab Leptuca uruguayensis (Nobili, 1901) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae) from South America

Brazilian Journal of Oceanography ◽

10.1590/s1679-87592017136606503 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (3) ◽

pp. 373-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Setuko Masunari ◽

Salise Brandt Martins ◽

Murilo Zanetti Marochi ◽

Wilson Sebastián Serra ◽

Fabrizio Scarabino

Keyword(s):

Posterior Margin ◽

Sexual Maturity ◽

Growth Analysis ◽

Fiddler Crab ◽

Carapace Width ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Centroid Size ◽

Relative Growth ◽

Abiotic Variables ◽

Major Cheliped

Abstract A comparative study on size and shape of Leptuca uruguayensis was carried out between populations from Garças River, Brazil (BP), and Solís Grande River, Uruguay (UP). The size of the onset of sexual maturity was also estimated for UP. A total of 36 crabs BP and 387 crabs UP were analyzed. In the relative growth analysis, carapace width (CW) for both sexes, major cheliped length (LMC) for males and abdomen width (AW) for females were measured. The centroid size of carapace (1.40±0.19 cm BP and 1.88±0.30 cm UP) and cheliped (1.16±0.22 cm BP and 1.58±0.45 cm UP) differed significantly (p<0.001). The shape also differed significantly (p<0.001), having UP wider carapace than BP, rostrum projected forward and posterior margin positioned more anteriorly; the cheliped of UP was also wider than BP. In UP, males' CW ranged 4.28-19.5 mm and females' 2.53-16.3 mm CW; males' LMC ranged 1.79-31.60 mm and females' AW, 0.80-8.53 mm. The onset of sexual maturity of UP was estimated in 12.20 mm CW for males and 7.81 mm for females. These differences are likely related to abiotic variables acting distinctly in the two localities.

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