Abstract
In the ocypodid crab Ilyoplax pusilla (De Haan) observed in Shirahama, Japan between 1982 and 1989, three types of territorial behavior effective in repelling neighbors are reported here in addition to barricade-building and neighbor burrow-plugging previously reported by Wada (1984, 1987). These territorial behaviors were performed by crabs larger than ca. 3.5 mm in carapace width (CW). Juvenile crabs (< ca. 3.5 mm CW) did not defend the area around their burrows, and some of them cohabited with larger crabs in the same burrows. Among crabs larger than ca. 3.5 mm CW, the territorial behavior was more diverse and prevalent in males than in females, especially larger males (> ca. 5 mm CW). Larger crabs of either sex had larger home ranges and territories. The size of the home range did not differ between males and females, but the size of territory was larger in males than in females. Thus, territorial behavior develops highly in larger males having a larger territory.
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Communicated by T. Ikeda, Niigata
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Wada, K. Territorial behavior, and sizes of home range and territory, in relation to sex and body size in Ilyoplax pusilla (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae). Marine Biology 115, 47–52 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349385
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349385