ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF MATING SYSTEMS OF FIDDLER CRABS (GENUS UCA)
Authors: CHRISTY JOHN H. , SALMON MICHAEL 
Published: January 2008

1. General accounts of the natural history and behaviour of fiddler crabs suggest there exist two broad mating patterns in the genus. Most western and Indo‐Pacific species mate on the surface of intertidal substrates near burrows females defend. The sexes associate only briefly during courtship and mating. In contrast, males of many American species court from and defend burrows to which females come for mating. Copulation occurs underground in burrows plugged at the surface; the sexes usually remain together for at least several hours.

Here we summarize and contrast recent detailed field studies of the mating systems ofU. pugilator, an American species, andU. vocans, a species widely distributed in the western and Indo‐Pacific. We indicate how differences in the breeding ecology of these two species may account for basic differences in modes of sexual selection leading to the two broad mating patterns in the genus.

2.U. pugilatorburrows in protected sandy substrates in the upper intertidal and supratidal zone. During ebb tide, nonbreeding crabs leave burrows they occupy during high tide to forage on food‐rich substrates in the lower intertidal zone. Reproductively active males remain in the burrow zone where they fight for and defend burrows from which they court. Large males win most fights for burrows and tend to defend burrows high on the elevation gradient, especially during periods with relatively high tides. Females usually approach and descend the burrows of several males before choosing their mates by remaining in males' burrows. Males remain underground with their mates for 1–3 days until after they oviposit their eggs. Some males then emerge and leave their burrows while others sequester their mates in the chambers where mating and oviposition has occurred, dig new chambers and resume courtship, perhaps attracting additional females. In either case, females remain underground for approximately 2 weeks, finally emerging to release their planktonic larvae. Burrows that do not collapse due to tidal inundation or flooding by groundwater are best for breeding and usually are located relatively high on the elevation gradient. Females choose mates indirectly by preferring to breed in burrows that will remain intact while they oviposit and incubate their eggs. Large males mate more often than small males because they are better able to defend burrows at locations females prefer to breed. The mating system ofU. pugilatormay be classified as resource‐defence polygyny.

3.U. vocansburrows in open muddy substrates in the mid‐ to lower intertidal zone. At a site near Chunda Bay, Australia, where the reproductive behaviour of this species has been studied in depth, both sexes feed near burrows they defend. Females tend to occupy their burrows for longer periods and move shorter distances than do males. Mating occurs on the surface near the burrows that females defend. Females accept both resident and wandering males as mates. They show no preference for mating with larger males. Female choice may be based on other male morphological or behavioural characteristics. Females oviposit their eggs either while on the surface or in their burrows. They produce relatively small clutches and are active on the surface throughout their breeding periods. Males fight both their neighbours and wandering males. Large males tend to win fights and defend burrows in areas where large females, which produce relatively many eggs, are most dense. Such areas may offer greater protection from predators than areas occupied by smaller females. Small males mate about as often as large males but may father fewer larvae. The mating system ofU. vocansis resource‐free and promiscuous.

4. The mating systems ofU. pugilatorandU. vocansdiffer fundamentally in that femaleU. pugilatorrequire access to a specific microenvironment to breed successfully, while femaleU. vocansdo not. We suggest this difference occurs because of contrasts in clutch sizes and the mobility and movement patterns of feeding females. FemaleU. pugilatorproduce relatively large clutches and probably experience more intense selection from factors that can cause egg loss and mortality than doU. oocans, which produce clutches of sufficiently small volume to be protected by their abdominal flaps. Hence, the range of suitable breeding environments forU. pugilatoris small compared to that forU. vocans.In addition,U. pugilatorburrows in areas that are relatively food‐poor, leading to daily migrations to and from food‐rich substrates in the lower intertidal zone, preventing female defence of an area suitable for both breeding and feeding.U. vocans, however, burrows in areas sufficiently rich to support feeding, leading to relatively low female mobility and defence of burrows that are also suitable breeding sites.

5. Adaptive radiation of the genusUcain the Americas is manifest by trends toward smaller adult size, higher population densities, more frequent microgeographic sympatry and increased terrestriality, compared to species in the western and Indo‐Pacific regions. We outline the general features of the selection mechanisms tying each of these trends to the evolution of resource—defence mating systems. Intraspecific variation in the courtship behaviour and site of mating inU. lacteaandU. vocanssupports our contention that resourse—defence behaviour tends to occur at high population densities. Additional data are needed to evaluate the other hypotheses critically.