Population and reproductive biology of the crab Uca burgersi (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) in three subtropical mangrove forests

Abstract

Population and reproductive biology were studied in three populations of the crab Uca burgersi Holthuis, 1967, in the Indaiá, Cavalo and Ubatumirim mangrove forests (Ubatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil). Crabs were collected during low tide (August 2001 through July 2002), by digging the sediment, with a standard capture effort (two persons for 30 min.). Carapace width was measured, and gonad developmental stage was recorded from all specimens. U. burgersi was most abundant in the Cavalo mangrove, where the largest male was found. Juvenile crabs were found year-round at all three sites. However, the ratio of ovigerous females was very low, even null in the Cavalo mangrove. The gonad development rate indicated that U. burgersi was reproducing continuously, but more intensively during spring and summer, with recruitment occurring in winter. The synchrony between the populational and reproductive biology in the three areas showed that local features were not the limiting factors. It is suggested that this species is a habitat generalist. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (Suppl. 1): 55-70. Epub 2007 June, 29.

Spatiotemporal distribution and abundance of mangrove ecosystem engineers: burrowing crabs around canopy gaps

“…Hence, the temporal influences on the distribution of different fiddler crabs in mangroves are poorly defined. Indirect observations have shown tropical fiddler crabs to be relatively abundant year round (Litulo 2005a, Bennetti et al 2007, with abundance peaking during spring tides and ebbing during neap tides (Palmer 1995, Stillman andBarnwell 2004).…”

Sampling technique affects the population structure assessments of fiddler crab Minuca vocator (Herbst, 1804) (Ocypodidae: Gelasiminae)

“…In tropical and subtropical mangroves, fiddler crabs usually exhibit continuous reproduction, probably due to the constancy of environmental conditions and resource availability throughout the year (Colpo and Negreiros-Fransozo, 2004;Litulo, 2005;Benetti et al, 2007;Costa and Soares-Gomes, 2009;Martins and Masunari, 2013). The data on ovigerous frequency obtained by CPUE corroborated the continuous breeding hypothesis in Itapanhau and Itamambuca.…”

Population biology and morphometric sexual maturity of the fiddler crab Uca (Uca) maracoani (Latreille, 1802) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae) in a semiarid tropical estuary of northeastern Brazil

“…may have reduced growth rates to concentrate their budget on gonad development (Johnson, 2003), and larger males have greater chances of obtaining females for copulation and of winning intra-specific fights (Christy & Salmon, 1984). Differences between male and female sizes among populations may be due to the organic content of the sediment that can promote better nutritional conditions, which results in different growth rates of specimens in different areas (Benetti et al, 2004).…”