Abstract

Fiddler crabs exhibit two modes of mating: burrow and surface mating. In burrow mating, males wave and attract mate-searching females for mating inside their burrows, whereas in surface mating males search for and mate with females on the surface. We studied the reproductive behavior of Austruca iranica (Pretzmann, 1971), an Indo-West Pacific species, specifically female-mate choice with regard to the size of both male individuals and their burrows. We also compared the size of male and female burrows in the population. Austruca iranica performed both surface and burrow mating despite the different size of the burrow of the two sexes, within the semi-lunar tide cycles at the study site. There was strong size-assortative mating in burrow mating. Burrow-mating females generally chose larger males and wider burrows and even though chosen and rejected males were not different in burrow length, females sampled males with longer than average burrows. Surface-mating females also possessed burrows that were longer than those of the females in the population and this may have enabled them to mate on the surface and breed alone. Regardless of its similarities to some species that only perform burrow mating; the ecology of A. iranica has made it possible for this species to mate on the surface as well as in male-defended burrows. The choice of large males by burrow mating females may provide benefits to females from both the large male itself (e.g., protection) and his wider burrow (e.g., better incubation temperature).

中文翻译：

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伊朗小提琴蟹Austruca iranica Pretzmann的交配行为，1971年（十足目：Brachyura：Ocypodidae），着重于挖洞雌性的交配选择

摘要

招潮蟹具有两种交配方式：穴居和表面交配。在洞穴交配中，雄性会挥动并吸引寻找伴侣的雌性在其洞穴内交配，而在表面交配中，雄性会在表面寻找雌性并与之交配。我们研究了印度洋-西太平洋物种Austruca iranica（Pretzmann，1971）的生殖行为，特别是关于雌性选择的雄性个体和洞穴大小。我们还比较了人口中男性和女性洞穴的大小。伊朗古猿在研究地点的半月潮周期内，尽管两个性别的洞穴大小不同，它们仍进行了表层和洞穴交配。洞穴交配中存在强的大小分类交配。洞穴交配的雌性通常选择较大的雄性和较宽的洞穴，尽管被选择和拒绝的雄性的洞穴长度没有差异，但雌性采样的雄性的洞穴长于平均洞穴。地表交配的雌性还拥有比种群中的雌性更长的洞穴，这可能使他们能够在表层交配并独自繁殖。不论其与仅进行洞穴交配的某些物种有何相似之处；伊朗的生态学使得该物种可以在表面以及雄性防御的洞穴中交配。通过与雌性进行洞穴交配来选择雄性较大的雄性可能会从雄性较大的雄性本身（例如，保护）和更宽的洞穴（例如，更好的孵化温度）中为雌性提供好处。