| Minuca pugnax | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Ocypodidae |
| Subfamily: | Gelasiminae |
| Tribe: | Minucini |
| Genus: | Minuca |
| Species: | M. pugnax |
| Binomial name | |
| Minuca pugnax | |
| Synonyms | |
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Minuca pugnax, commonly known as the Atlantic marsh fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab that lives on north-western shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Minuca pugnax is the most common species of fiddler crab on the east coast of the United States. Its natural range extends from Cape Cod to northern Florida. [2] In 2014, its northern limit was extended to Hampton, New Hampshire, as a result of a range expansion possibly due to climate change. [3] Prior to the 2000s, studies suggested that its habitat range was limited to low-marsh habitats such as creeks, bay fronts, and mosquito ditches that are regularly flooded by the tide; the number of crabs decreased substantially in high-marsh habitats. Reports also indicated that Minuca pugnax would burrow during high tide and not reemerge until the tide had receded. The habitat was therefore restricted to areas where burrows were available to occupy and could be constructed. However reports in the 2010s began noting higher than expected numbers of Minuca pugnax in high-marsh areas along the Long Island Sound and in Rhode Island. [4]
Minuca pugnax has a mutualistic relationship with Spartina alterniflora , a perennial deciduous grass found in intertidal wetlands; the plants provide structural support necessary for the crabs' burrows and the burrowing itself increases production of the grass. However, in bare areas of the marshes caused by human disruption, the burrowing can damage the S. alterniflora seedlings by disturbing the soil, which also increases sediment in the water column and reduce the amount of organic matter in the soil. All of these can increase the negative impacts of sea level rise on wetland ecosystems. [4]
There is noticeable sexual dimorphism in Minuca pugnax. Although both males and females are olive-brown in color, males have a carapace width of 15–23 mm (0.59–0.91 in), and a patch of royal blue on the carapace, while females lack the blue patch and are only 13–18 mm (0.51–0.71 in) across the carapace. [2] In both sexes, the pereiopods (walking legs) have dark bands, and the eyestalks are narrow. [2] The most conspicuous difference is the form of the chelipeds (claw-bearing legs); in females, they are similar, while in males, one is greatly enlarged and colored yellow. [2]
The males use circular movements of their large cheliped to attract a mate. Mating occurs up to every two weeks, typically 4–5 days after the spring tides, over a period lasting from June to September. [2] It takes place in a burrow, after which the female will brood her eggs for 12–15 days before releasing the hatchling larvae on the high spring tides. [2] The larvae pass through five planktonic zoea and one megalopa stages before settling to the sea floor to molt into the adult form. [2] This process takes around 28 days. After one year, the crab reaches sexual maturity, and adult life span is typically 12–18 months. [2]
Minuca pugnax was first described by Sidney Irving Smith in 1870, as "Gelasimus pugnax". Its common names include "marsh fiddler crab", [2] "mud fiddler crab", [2] "Atlantic mud fiddler crab" and "Atlantic marsh fiddler crab". [5]
Minuca pugnax was formerly a member of the genus Uca , but in 2016 it was placed in the genus Minuca , a former subgenus of Uca. [6] [7] [8]
The fiddler crab or calling crab may be any of more than one hundred species of semiterrestrial marine crabs in the family Ocypodidae, well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males' major claw is much larger than the minor claw, while the females' claws are both the same size. A smaller number of ghost crab and mangrove crab species are also found in the family Ocypodidae. This entire group is composed of small crabs, the largest being slightly over two inches (5 cm) across. Fiddler crabs are found along sea beaches and brackish intertidal mud flats, lagoons, swamps, and various other types of brackish or salt-water wetlands.
Leptuca pugilator, the sand fiddler crab, Atlantic sand fiddler crab, or Calico fiddler, is a species of fiddler crab that is found from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico. It lives in burrows in coastal and estuarine mud-flats, and can be extremely abundant. It can be differentiated from the morphologically similar Minuca pugnax and Minuca minax by the smoothness of the inside of its claws. One claw is larger than the other, and can be much larger than the crab's body, at up to 41 mm (1.6 in) long.
Paraleptuca chlorophthalmus, is a common fiddler crab found in the mangroves of East Africa, from Somalia to South Africa, as well as Madagascar and Mauritius. Marsh fiddlers dig burrows in the muddy or sandy banks of salt marshes, which they use to protect themselves from predators, high tide and extreme temperatures. They feed by filtering detritus out of mud, and defend their burrows against other fiddler crabs. Paraleptuca chlorophthalmus is characterised by its red pereiopods and blue and black markings on its carapace.
Austruca annulipes is a species of fiddler crab found along the coastline from South Africa to Somalia, Madagascar, India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Paraleptuca crassipes or the thick-legged fiddler crab is a species of fiddler crab that lives in intertidal habitats distributed across the western Pacific Ocean.
Minuca minax, commonly known as the red‐jointed fiddler crab or brackish-water fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab that is found in the United States from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the most common macroinvertebrates in salt marshes in these states. It prefers areas of lower salinity than other fiddler crabs, and can be found in great numbers along the banks of tidal streams, even at distances greater than 50 km (31 mi) from the sea.
Tubuca urvillei is a species of fiddler crab. It is found in the Southeastern Africa from southern Somalia to the South Africa and Madagascar.
Tubuca alcocki is a species of fiddler crab. Its range includes most of the northern Indian Ocean, from western Thailand, through the Bay of Bengal and India, to the Red Sea.
Minuca longisignalis, the longwave gulf fiddler, is a species of American broad-front fiddler crab in the family Ocypodidae.
Leptuca thayeri, known generally as the Atlantic mangrove fiddler crab or mangrove fiddler, is a species of true crab in the family Ocypodidae. It is distributed all across the Western Atlantic.
Leptuca spinicarpa, commonly known as the spiny-wristed fiddler crab or the spined fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico from northwestern Florida to Mexico.
Leptuca panacea, commonly known as the Gulf sand fiddler crab or the Panacea sand fiddler, is a species of fiddler crab native to coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico from northwestern Florida to Mexico.
Leptuca speciosa, commonly known as the brilliant fiddler crab or the longfinger fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to the southern United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Leptuca subcylindrica, commonly known as the Laguna Madre fiddler crab or the puffed fiddler crab, is a sparsely-studied species of fiddler crab native to southern Texas and northeastern Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico.
Leptuca cumulanta, commonly known as the heaping fiddler crab or the mangrove fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to tropical and subtropical areas of the western Atlantic.
Leptuca uruguayensis, commonly known as the Uruguayan fiddler crab or the southwestern Atlantic fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to temperate and subtropical areas of the southeastern coast of South America.
Leptuca saltitanta, commonly known as the energetic fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to the eastern Pacific coasts, from El Salvador in Central America to Colombia in South America.
Leptuca deichmanni, commonly known as Deichmann's fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to the eastern Pacific coast of Central America, in Costa Rica and Panama.
Leptuca musica, commonly known as the musical fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to Baja California and the Gulf of California in Mexico.
Leptuca terpsichores, commonly known as the dancing fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to the eastern Pacific coast of the Americas, from Nicaragua to Peru.
