Estimating the size of "Uca tanger" (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) without massive crab capture

Lourenço, Rita; Paula, José R.; Henriques, Miguel

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/7370

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Authors

Lourenço, Rita

Paula, José R.

Henriques, Miguel

Abstract(s)

Uca tangeri (Eydoux, 1835) is the only species of fiddler crab that occurs in Portugal, where it mainly inhab-its salt marshes in the south and southwest coasts. Individuals spend most of their time on and around their galleries, bur-rowing structures which they typically create and maintain in muddy substrate. Capturing fiddler crabs in nature is extreme-ly difficult and can be destructive for their habitat. Once disturbed, U. tangeri tend to hide in their burrow, and their capture usually involves the destruction of the upper part of the burrow. In the present study, a method for estimating the carapace length of the fiddler indirectly, using the diameter of the burrow opening, is proposed. Significant sex-specific relationships between the diameter of the burrow opening and the occupant’s length were found. Although the mean length of the cara-pace was not significantly different between sexes,