Data

The use of claw colour and pattern for species recognition in the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi

Australian Ocean Data Network
Detto, Tanya ; Zeil, Jochen, Dr ; Backwell, Patricia, Dr ; Hemmi, Jan, Dr
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ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2FANDS&rft_id=https://catalogue.aodn.org.au:443/geonetwork/srv/api/records/b8b5f4c0-2a8d-11dc-8881-00188b4c0af8&rft.title=The use of claw colour and pattern for species recognition in the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi&rft.identifier=https://catalogue.aodn.org.au:443/geonetwork/srv/api/records/b8b5f4c0-2a8d-11dc-8881-00188b4c0af8&rft.description=In the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi, males attract females to their burrows by waving their enlarged yellow claw. Colour is clearly involved in species recognition in U. mjoebergi, but the role of the species-specific colour pattern has not been investigated. Here we show that U. mjoebergi females preferentially approach uniformaly yellow claws over bicoloured, yellow and white, claws. This is not due to a preference for a larger yellow signal, as they fail to discriminate between bicoloured claws differing in the proportion of yellow. Claw colour and pattern appear to be equally important in the recognition of conspecific males, as females do not distinguish between a uniformly coloured claw of the wrong colour and a claw containing yellow in the wrong pattern. Experiments were conducted in October 2005, near the mangrove boardwalk in the East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT.Statement: During neap tides, when U. mjoebergi were reproductively active, we caught wandering females and placed them under a container 15cm from two identical plaster casts of a U. mjoebergi male's 21.8mm claw. Claws were attached to servomotors programmed to move sychronously 40 times a minute over an angle of 15 degrees with a pause of 0.5 seconds at the beginning and apex of each cycle. We started the servometers before remotely lifting the container to release the female. We then recorded which claw she approached to within 2cm. Females were given a choice between claws painted various combinations of yellow and white using Dulux Tiny Tin enamel paint. We randomly positioned the claws on either side of the female, and tested three combinations randomly throughout the low tide period to eliminate any directional or temporal effects. Each combination was tested until 15 females successfully made a choice. Claw colours/patterns tested were: yellow, white and bicoloured (with varying percentages of yellow). Parameters: Date, width of female carapace (mm), claw colour and female choice.&rft.creator=Detto, Tanya &rft.creator=Zeil, Jochen, Dr &rft.creator=Backwell, Patricia, Dr &rft.creator=Hemmi, Jan, Dr &rft.date=2007&rft.coverage=130.83298,-12.40969 130.83297,-12.40975 130.83302,-12.40975 130.83303,-12.40970 130.83298,-12.40969&rft.coverage=westlimit=130.5; southlimit=-13; eastlimit=131; northlimit=-12&rft.coverage=westlimit=130.5; southlimit=-13; eastlimit=131; northlimit=-12&rft.coverage=uplimit=0; downlimit=0&rft.coverage=uplimit=0; downlimit=0&rft_rights=Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/&rft_rights=The citation in a list of references is: citation author name/s (year metadata published), metadata title. Citation author organisation/s. File identifier and Data accessed at (add http link).&rft_rights=Users are kindly requested to contact the principal investigator for authorisation before utilising or reproducing any material&rft_rights=Thumbnail image may not be reproduced without prior consent from the principal investigator&rft_subject=biota&rft_subject=28 960043&rft_subject=CRUSTACEANS&rft_subject=EARTH SCIENCE&rft_subject=BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION&rft_subject=ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES&rft_subject=ARTHROPODS&rft_subject=Colour Vision&rft_subject=Pattern Recognition&rft_subject=Behavioural Ecology&rft_subject=Ocypodidae&rft_subject=Fiddler Crab&rft_subject=date&rft_subject=carapace_width&rft_subject=female_choice&rft.type=dataset&rft.language=English Access the data
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The citation in a list of references is: citation author name/s (year metadata published), metadata title. Citation author organisation/s. File identifier and Data accessed at (add http link).

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Thumbnail image may not be reproduced without prior consent from the principal investigator

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Brief description

In the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi, males attract females to their burrows by waving their enlarged yellow claw. Colour is clearly involved in species recognition in U. mjoebergi, but the role of the species-specific colour pattern has not been investigated. Here we show that U. mjoebergi females preferentially approach uniformaly yellow claws over bicoloured, yellow and white, claws. This is not due to a preference for a larger yellow signal, as they fail to discriminate between bicoloured claws differing in the proportion of yellow. Claw colour and pattern appear to be equally important in the recognition of conspecific males, as females do not distinguish between a uniformly coloured claw of the wrong colour and a claw containing yellow in the wrong pattern. Experiments were conducted in October 2005, near the mangrove boardwalk in the East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT.

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Statement: During neap tides, when U. mjoebergi were reproductively active, we caught wandering females and placed them under a container 15cm from two identical plaster casts of a U. mjoebergi male's 21.8mm claw. Claws were attached to servomotors programmed to move sychronously 40 times a minute over an angle of 15 degrees with a pause of 0.5 seconds at the beginning and apex of each cycle. We started the servometers before remotely lifting the container to release the female. We then recorded which claw she approached to within 2cm. Females were given a choice between claws painted various combinations of yellow and white using Dulux Tiny Tin enamel paint. We randomly positioned the claws on either side of the female, and tested three combinations randomly throughout the low tide period to eliminate any directional or temporal effects. Each combination was tested until 15 females successfully made a choice. Claw colours/patterns tested were: yellow, white and bicoloured (with varying percentages of yellow). Parameters: Date, width of female carapace (mm), claw colour and female choice.

Notes

Credit
Funded by The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre for Excellence for Vision Science
Credit
Funded by The Centre of Visual Sciences (CVS, The Australian National University)
Credit
Funded by The Australian National University PhD Scholarship
Purpose
Examining whether Uca mjoebergi has colour vision, and whether pattern is important to recognise conspecific individuals.

Issued: 05 07 2007

Data time period: 2005-10 to 2005-10

This dataset is part of a larger collection

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130.83298,-12.40969 130.83297,-12.40975 130.83302,-12.40975 130.83303,-12.4097 130.83298,-12.40969

130.833,-12.40972

131,-12 131,-13 130.5,-13 130.5,-12 131,-12

130.75,-12.5

text: westlimit=130.5; southlimit=-13; eastlimit=131; northlimit=-12

text: uplimit=0; downlimit=0

Subjects
28 960043 | ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES | ARTHROPODS | BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION | Behavioural Ecology | Crustaceans | Colour Vision | EARTH SCIENCE | Fiddler Crab | Ocypodidae | Pattern Recognition | biota | carapace_width | date | female_choice |

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Other Information
(Similar experiment demonstrating methodology)

uri : https://catalogue.aodn.org.au:443/geonetwork/srv/api/records/b8b5f4c0-2a8d-11dc-8881-00188b4c0af8/attachments/

Raw data: Females choice when faced with claws of different colours / patterns (Claw_col_patt_species_rec_mjoebergi.xls)

uri : https://catalogue.aodn.org.au:443/geonetwork/srv/api/records/b8b5f4c0-2a8d-11dc-8881-00188b4c0af8/attachments/Claw_col_patt_species_rec_mjoebergi.xls

Identifiers
  • global : b8b5f4c0-2a8d-11dc-8881-00188b4c0af8
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