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Vol. 61, 2022
(update: 2022.9.12)
Eat Better to Look Better: The
Relationship between Food Availability, UV Brightness of the Major
Claw, and Mating Success of the Fiddler Crab Austruca lactea
Kun-Chang Li1 ,
Yu-Shiuan Chen1,
Wei-Chi Lin1,
and Hui-Chen Lin1,2,*
doi:10.6620/ZS.2022.61-43
1Department
of Life Science, Tunghai University, 1727, Sec.4, Taiwan Boulevard,
Xitun District, Taichung City 407224, Taiwan. E-mail:
kunchang.li@gmail.com (Li); chenwinshane@gmail.com (Chen);
nil158320@gmail.com (Lin)
2Center for Ecology and Environment, Tunghai
University, 1727, Sec.4, Taiwan Boulevard, Xitun District, Taichung
City 407224, Taiwan. *Correspondence: E-mail: hclin@thu.edu.tw (Lin)
Received 20 February 2022 / Accepted
23 May 2022
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan
Many factors affect male fiddler
crab courting and female choice during underground mating, including
claw-waving patterns, claw-waving frequency, hood structures, burrow
quality, and visible and ultraviolet signals of the major claw. Under
food-limited conditions, fiddler crabs decrease their investments in
reproduction—e.g., lower their
claw-waving frequency. However, the effect of food availability on the
visible or ultraviolet signals important for courtship success is
unknown, not only for fiddler crabs, but for crustaceans in general.
This is the first study to explore the influence of food availability
on the early stages of female choice in Austruca lactea. In the present
study, we tested (1) the effect of food availability on the UV
brightness of A. lactea’s
major claw and burrow quality and (2) the correlation between A. lactea courtship success and the UV
brightness of its major claw. Our results showed that higher food
availability increased the UV brightness of the major claw and enhanced
the male’s burrow quality. The UV component to the signal is important
for courtship success. The males with a UV component of signal on their
major claw had a higher courtship success. This is an indication that
food availability may affect the attractiveness of male fiddler crabs.
Key words: Austruca lactea, UV brightness,
Food availability, Mate choice, Fiddler crab, Courtship behavior.
Citation:
Li KC, Chen YC, Lin WC, Lin HC. 2022. Eat better to look better: Food
availability affects the UV brightness of the major claw and burrow
quality of Austruca lactea. Zool Stud 61:43. doi:10.6620/ZS.2022.61-43.
Supplementary
Materials: Fig. S1
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