Colouration and colour changes of the fiddler crab, Uca capricornis: a descriptive study
Date
2008-02-10
Authors
Detto, Tanya
Hemmi, Jan
Backwell, Patricia
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Public Library of Science
Abstract
Colour changes in animals may be triggered by a variety of social and environmental factors and may occur over a matter of
seconds or months. Crustaceans, like fiddler crabs (genus Uca), are particularly adept at changing their colour and have
been the focus of numerous studies. However, few of these studies have attempted to quantitatively describe the individual
variation in colour and pattern or their adaptive significance. This paper quantitatively describes the colour patterns of the
fiddler crab Uca capricornis and their ability to change on a socially significant timescale. The most dramatic changes in
colour pattern are associated with moulting. These ontogenetic changes result in a general reduction of the colour pattern
with increasing size, although females are more colourful and variable than similarly-sized males. Uca capricornis are also
capable of rapid colour changes in response to stress, but show no endogenous rhythms associated with the semilunar and
tidal cycles commonly reported in other fiddler crabs. The extreme colour polymorphism and the relative stability of the
colour patterns in Uca capricornis are consistent with their use in visually mediated mate recognition.
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Keywords
Keywords: adaptation; article; color; controlled study; crab; descriptive research; mating; molting; nonhuman; ontogeny; quantitative study; sex difference; stress; Animalia; Capricornis; Crustacea; Ocypodidae; Uca
Citation
PLoS ONE 3.2 (2008): e1629
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PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science)
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Journal article
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