An illustrated key to the fiddler crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae) from the Atlantic coast of Brazil

Abstract

Fiddler crabs are one of the most notable animal groups in Brazilian estuarine environments, due to their high density and characteristic waving of males. An illustrated key to the ten species recorded as far in the country is provided using only clearly visible characters of males. Furthermore, additional recognition characters, information about geographic distribution and biology of each species are presented. Most examined crabs were collected in Guaratuba Bay, southern Brazil.

First record of the Fiddler Crab, Minuca osa from the Eastern Montijo Gulf, Panama

“…Furthermore, M. burgersi also differs from our specimens in that the oblique tuberculate ridge on the major palm has small tubercles (not a single row); tubercle ridge does not diminish distally on outer pollex (Crane, 2015;Shih et al 2016). In Minuca vocator and M. ecuadoriensis, the carapace as well as the ambulatories on all segments have a profuse pile (except dactyls) in an irregular pattern (see Masunari et al 2020), while our specimens had no such pile. In M. ecuadoriensis, the oblique ridge in the major palm has a very low apex; tubercles are small and irregular, sometimes vestigial or absent.…”

“…Minuca burgersi, M. vocator, and M. ecuadoriensis are morphologically similar to M. osa (Landstorfer & Schubart, 2010;Rosenberg, 2020); however, M. burgersi and M. vocator are only distributed in the Western Atlantic, while M. ecuadoriensis is only found in the Eastern Pacific (Masunari et al 2020;Rosenberg, 2020). Furthermore, M. burgersi also differs from our specimens in that the oblique tuberculate ridge on the major palm has small tubercles (not a single row); tubercle ridge does not diminish distally on outer pollex (Crane, 2015;Shih et al 2016).…”