Incidence of Limb Loss and Bald Chelipeds in the Japanese Mitten Crab Eriocheir japonica (de Haan) in its Marine Phase

Kobayashi, Satoshi; Matsuura, Shuhei

doi:10.5179/benthos1996.52.1_61

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Consistent with our re- sults, injury frequency in the intertidal area was high (43.16%). However, contrary to the previous study (Kobayashi & Matsuura, 1997) which indicated that larger adult E. japonica did not show any significant site specificity of appendage loss, our results suggested that in both sexes, E. japonica were prone to losing the chelipeds (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…The autotomy pattern of E. japonica has been studied in the intertidal area by Kobayashi & Matsuura (1997). Consistent with our re- sults, injury frequency in the intertidal area was high (43.16%).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In our study, we sampled various sizes of E. japonica and found injured crabs were significantly larger than intact crabs. Moreover, our results verified Kobayashi & Matsuura s (1997) hypothesis that autotomy level in E. japonica is positively correlated with crab size. Similar positive correlations have also been confirmed in C. maenas (McVean, 1976), C. angulatus (Spivak & Politis, 1989), and Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Davis et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…These sex differences might result from different intrasexual interactions or physical differences (Fleming et al, 2007). Kobayashi & Matsuura (1997) only collected large-sized adult E. japonica from the intertidal area, and thus their study of injury in E. japonica was independent of size. In our study, we sampled various sizes of E. japonica and found injured crabs were significantly larger than intact crabs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ecological information on this crab is well-known (Kobayashi & Matsuura, 1991;Kobayashi, 1999aKobayashi, , 2002Kobayashi, , 2012, however information on autotomy patterns in E. japonica is limited. To date, only one quantitative study on autotomy in E. japonica was conducted in the reproduction area where only adult individuals were collected (Kobayashi & Matsuura, 1997). Autotomy patterns of juvenile E. japonica in freshwater areas still remain unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autotomy patterns in the Japanese mitten crab, <i>Eriocheir japonica</i>

2016

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Abstract. Autotomy is a common phenomenon in crustaceans and has been extensively studied. The Japanese mitten crab, Eriocheir japonica, is an important fisheries species in Japan, but autotomy patterns of this species have seldom been reported. Therefore, in this study, we examined the autotomy patterns for E. japonica in both growth and reproduction habitats. Our results indicated that a high proportion (more than 26%) of E. japonica lost appendages, and autotomy rate was positively correlated with crab size. There was no significant difference in autotomy frequency between sexes, and single appendage loss was the most common form of autotomy. Appendages on the left and right sides had an equal probability of loss. The observed autotomy frequency was significantly different from the expected frequency, which suggests that in E. japonica the autotomy event is dependent on each other. Moreover, appendage loss in E. japonica was affected by habitat type and season.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%