Abstract Members of Clibanarius virescens show considerable intraspecific colour variation, including colouration of the second/third pereopods (green/white) and the dactyls of the second/third pereopods (with or without dark bands/patches). However, factors inducing these colour variations have not yet been elucidated. Here, we investigated the occurrence of colour variation in this species with particular emphasis on change of colouration associated with growth stage and region in specimens from tropical/subtropical to warm temperate areas in the Indo–West Pacific, including evidence from molecular phylogeny based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). We have, then, clarified that the colouration on the pereopod dactyls gradually changed from solid colour (yellow/white) to having dark-coloured area(s) or transverse band(s) as a result of the growth stage. The frequency of occurrence of the solid colour dactyls was higher than those of other colour types in tropical regions. Our results also indicated that the white ambulatory leg type was the colouration type that was frequently seen in juvenile stages. However, significant genetic differences were not detected between each colouration determined by molecular analysis of samples from 14 localities in the Indo-West Pacific region; in contrast, two genetically differentiated regional populations (North Australia; Phuket, Thailand; and Lombok, Indonesia) were detected. The present study, therefore, emphasizes the necessity for further study on the colour variation of marine animals focusing on growth stages and regional differences, with molecular data to facilitate the research on adaptation and/or speciation, especially in geographically widely distributed species.

中文翻译：

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考虑生长阶段、印度-西太平洋地理区域和分子系统发育的潮间带寄居蟹 Clibanarius virescens 的颜色变化

摘要 Clibanarius virescens 的成员表现出相当大的种内颜色变化，包括第二/第三轮足（绿色/白色）和第二/第三轮足（有或没有暗带/斑块）的颜色。然而，尚未阐明导致这些颜色变化的因素。在这里，我们调查了该物种颜色变异的发生，特别强调了与印度 - 西太平洋热带/亚热带到暖温带地区的标本的生长阶段和区域相关的颜色变化，包括基于分子系统发育的证据细胞色素 c 氧化酶亚基 I (COI)。那么我们有，阐明了由于生长阶段，足足趾的颜色逐渐从纯色（黄色/白色）变为具有深色区域或横带。在热带地区，纯色趾甲的出现频率高于其他颜色的趾甲。我们的研究结果还表明，白色的走动腿型是在青少年阶段常见的着色类型。然而，通过对来自印度-西太平洋地区 14 个地区的样本进行分子分析确定的每种颜色之间没有检测到显着的遗传差异；相比之下，检测到两个遗传分化的区域种群（澳大利亚北部；泰国普吉岛；印度尼西亚龙目岛）。因此，本研究