NAIDITCH, Sarah, E.; NEUFFER, Jacquelyn, M.; WOODWARD, Denise; HARRIS COTNER, Sehoya, C.: Interspecific Aggression in Fiddler Crabs, Genus Uca: Part 2: Fight Elements

Male fiddler crabs (genus Uca) are known for their single, large cheliped. This large claw is believed to be beneficial for a male during courtship and fighting. Several attempts have been made to clarify (a) the role of fighting in fiddler crab interactions, and (b) factors that ultimately determine success in aggressive interactions. This portion of our study examined the fight elements during aggressive interactions between three species of fiddler crabs-Uca musica, Uca latimanus, and Uca crenulata–in Laguna Juluapan of Santiago Bay (Jalisco, Mexico). Sixteen U. musica, 15 U. crenulata, and 14 U. latimanus were collected, marked, and returned to a densely populated area on the beach. We followed each marked crab, and filmed several male-male encounters between an aggressive wanderer (AW) and a burrow holder (BH). In each instance in which there was a fight we identified and timed the elements of each fight (e.g. interlace, fling, withdraw, etc.) in order to determine whether there is a correlation between fight mechanics, species involved, and outcome.