What are the consequences of being left-clawed in a predominantly right-clawed fiddler crab?

Male fiddler crabs (genus Uca) have an enlarged major claw that is used during fights. In most species, 50% of males have a major claw on the left and 50% on the right. In Uca vocans vomeris, however, less than 1.4% of males are left-clawed. Fights between opponents with claws on the same or opposit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2007-11, Vol.274 (1626), p.2723-2729
Main Authors: Backwell, P.R.Y, Matsumasa, M, Double, M, Roberts, A, Murai, M, Keogh, J.S, Jennions, M.D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Animals
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Biological taxonomies
Brachyura - physiology
Claws
Crabs
Decapoda
Frequency-Dependent
Functional Laterality - physiology
Handedness
Lateral stability
Laterality
Left handedness
Male
Male animals
Male-Male Competition
Marine
Mate Choice
Mating behavior
Polymorphism
Reproduction
Research universities
Salmon
Sexual Selection
Social Dominance
Uca
Uca vocans
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Summary:Male fiddler crabs (genus Uca) have an enlarged major claw that is used during fights. In most species, 50% of males have a major claw on the left and 50% on the right. In Uca vocans vomeris, however, less than 1.4% of males are left-clawed. Fights between opponents with claws on the same or opposite side result in different physical alignment of claws, which affects fighting tactics. Left-clawed males mainly fight opposite-clawed opponents, so we predicted that they would be better fighters due to their relatively greater experience in fighting opposite-clawed opponents. We found, however, that (i) a left-clawed male retains a burrow for a significantly shorter period than a size-matched right-clawed male, (ii) when experimentally displaced from their burrow, there is no difference in the tactics used by left- and right-clawed males to obtain a new burrow; however, right-clawed males are significantly more likely to initiate fights with resident males, and (iii) right-clawed residents engage in significantly more fights than left-clawed residents. It appears that left-clawed males are actually less likely to fight, and when they do fight they are less likely to win, than right-clawed males. The low-level persistence of left-clawed males is therefore unlikely to involve a frequency-dependent advantage associated with fighting experience.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2007.0666