Uca (Xeruca) formosensis Rathbun, 1921

Shih, Hsi-Te, Lee, Jung-Hsiang, Ho, Ping-Ho, Liu, Hung-Chang, Wang, Chia-Hsiang, Suzuki, Hiroshi & Teng, Shao-Jyun, 2016, Species diversity of fiddler crabs, genus Uca Leach, 1814 (Crustacea: Ocypodidae), from Taiwan and adjacent islands, with notes on the Japanese species, Zootaxa 4083 (1), pp. 57-82 : 76

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4083.1.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FC132216-6CFB-4E3F-B166-6F9BE3C50588
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3511589
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038B87E0-2E63-5D61-FF6A-388E847E6473
treatment provided by	Plazi (2017-11-16 05:58:27, last updated 2024-11-29 12:45:07)
scientific name	Uca (Xeruca) formosensis Rathbun, 1921
status

Treatment

Uca (Xeruca) formosensis Rathbun, 1921 View in CoL

( Fig. 7F–H View FIGURE 7 )

Uca formosensis Rathbun, 1921: 155 View in CoL [type locality: Lugang, Changhua, Taiwan] (see Shih 2015 for list of synonyms). Uca (Tubuca) formosensis View in CoL —Ng et al. 2008: 242 [list].

Uca (Xeruca) formosensis View in CoL — Shih 2015: 162 View Cited Treatment , figs. 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 7.

Material examined. See Shih (2015) for material from Taiwan (including Penghu).

Ecology. A chimney is built by the male after attracting a female into his burrow during the neap tide (see Shih et al. 2005).

Distribution. Endemic to Taiwan (including Penghu).

Remarks. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, Shih (2015) established a new subgenus Xeruca for this endemic species to solve its uncertain position. Xeruca is also a subgenus with the smallest distribution among the subgenera of Uca . Detailed information on the history, morphology, coloration, and distribution can be found in Shih et al. (1999) and Shih (2015). Shih et al. (2005) also investigated the possible function of chimney building and its ecology. The conservation of this endemic species has become important and critical due to the diminishing populations (e.g. in Penghu, Fig. 7H View FIGURE 7 ) because the sediment has been changed by the introduced mangroves, and by being less competitive than U. arcuate , which is dominant in mangrove habitats ( Shih et al. 1999; Hsieh et al. 2004; Shih 2015).

References

Shih, H. - T., Mok, H. - K., Chang, H. - W. & Lee, S. - C. (1999) Morphology of Uca formosensis Rathbun, 1921 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae), an endemic fiddler crab from Taiwan, with notes on its ecology. Zoological Studies, 38, 164 - 177.

Shih, H. - T., Mok, H. - K. & Chang, H. - W. (2005) Chimney building by male Uca formosensis Rathbun, 1921 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae) after pairing: a new hypothesis for chimney function. Zoological Studies, 44, 242 - 251.

Hsieh, H. - L., Lin, P. - F. & Chen, C. - P. (2004) Coastal wetlands conservation strategies based on mangroves and the fiddler crab habitat requirements in Taiwan. In: Islands of the World VIII International Conference: Changing Islands-Changing Worlds, Kinmen Islands (Quemoy), Taiwan, pp. 295 - 309.

Rathbun, M. J. (1921) New species of crabs from Formosa. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 34, 155 - 156.

Shih, H. - T. (2015) Uca (Xeruca), a new subgenus for the Taiwanese fiddler crab Uca formosensis Rathbun, 1921 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae), based on morphological and molecular evidence. Zootaxa, 3974 (2), 151 - 169. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3974.2.1

Figures

FIGURE 7. Species of the subgenera Uca (Tubuca) (A – E) and Xeruca (F – H) from Taiwan. A – C, Uca dussumieri (H. Milne Edwards, 1852), male from Siyu, Penghu (A), male and female from the Baoli River estuary, Pingtung (B, C); D, E, U. paradussumieri Bott, 1973, male from the Houlong River estuary, Miaoli; F – H, U. formosensis Rathbun, 1921, males from Haishangu, Hsinchu (F, G), male from Cingluo, Penghu (H).