Male fiddler crabs possess one giant major claw, used for display and intermale combat. Comprising greater than 30% of body mass, the major claw is presumed to interfere with escape from predators by affecting balance during the righting response if the male is upended. We determined cost of the major claw and posterior legs for righting after the crab was upended in a simulated attack. In Leptuca pugilator and Minuca pugnax, males without major claws showed no difference in their righting time compared to individuals bearing major claws, but males lacking rear legs took significantly longer to right relative to intact males. The lack of cost of the major cheliped for righting time reinforces a previously determined lack of cost of the major claw in sprint speed, another measure important for escape. While the rear legs are crucial for righting, the massive claw imposes no cost to this vital response.

公提琴蟹拥有一条巨大的大爪子，用于展示和进行雌雄争斗。推测大爪鱼占体重的30％以上，如果雄性被改头换面，则会在扶正反应期间影响平衡，从而干扰大鳄逃避捕食者的逃逸。我们确定了在一次模拟袭击中将螃蟹翻倒后，用于矫正大爪和后腿的成本。在Leptuca pugilator和Minuca pugnax中，没有大爪的雄性与带大爪的个体相比，在扶正时间上没有差异，但是与完整的雄性相比，缺少后腿的雄性向右花费的时间要长得多。主要的费用缺乏对付时间的限制，这进一步增强了先前确定的主要爪子在冲刺速度方面的费用，这是逃跑的另一重要措施。尽管后腿对于矫正至关重要，但巨大的爪子却丝毫不影响这种重要反应。