Diversity and distribution of fiddler crabs (Brachyura: Ocypodidae: Uca) from China, with new records from Hainan Island in the South China Sea
Author
Shih, Hsi-Te
Author
Ng, Peter K. L.
Author
Fang, Shou-Hua
Author
Chan, Benny K. K.
Author
Wong, Kingsley J. H.
text
Zootaxa
2010
2640
1
19
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.198567
ce6fe7bd-2b4c-4b95-9b59-1e810eaf38af
1175-5326
198567
Uca acuta
(
Stimpson, 1858
)
(
Fig. 2
A–D)
Gelasimus acutus
Stimpson, 1858
: 99
; 1907: 105, pl. 14, fig. 3 [
type
locality
Macao
, off south coast of
China
];
Kingsley 1880
: 144
[list].
Uca demani
(not
U. demani
Ortmann, 1897
)—
Gee 1926
: 165
(part) [Xiamen];
Kellogg 1928
: 356
[list].
Uca manii
—
Gee 1926
: 165
[
Chin
Bey].
Uca mani
—
Gordon 1931
: 528
[list].
Uca arcuata
(not
Gelasimus arcuatus
De Haan, 1835
)—
Shen 1937a
: 309
[North
China
].
Gelasimus manii
—
Shen 1940
: 232
[
Hong Kong
].
Gelasimus urvillei
(not H.
Milne Edwards, 1852
)—
Shen 1940
: 232
[
Hong Kong
].
Uca urvillei
(not H.
Milne Edwards, 1852
)—
Shen & Dai 1964
: 112
, unnumbered text-fig. [Guangdong];
Lai & He 1998
: 172
[Guangxi].
Uca
(
Deltuca
)
acuta acuta
—
Crane 1975
: 25
, pl. 1E–H, fig. 61B [
Jiaozhou
, Shandong; Fujian].
Uca acuta acuta
—
Yamaguchi 1994
: 183
[
Jiaozhou
, Shandong; Xiamen].
Uca acuta
—
Jones & Morton 1994
: 12
, pls. 1A, B, 2A, B, fig. 1 [
Hong Kong
];
Yang
et al
. 2008
: 807
[East
China
Sea; northern South
China
Sea].
Uca
(
Tubuca
)
acuta
—Ng
et al.
2008: 241 [list].
Material examined. Fujian
: 2 3 (19.45,
24.26 mm
) (MBMCAS 166374), Xiunpu, Quanzhou, coll. H.-L. Chen,
21 Jun. 1975
; 10 3 (CW
11.03–22.61 mm
), 5 ƤƤ (
15.5–20.29 mm
, one damaged) (
ZRC
2002.0563), Longhai, Xiamen, coll. P.K.L. Ng & S.-H. Fang,
22 Sep. 2002
; 17 3 (
16.71–20.45 mm
), 10 ƤƤ (5 ovig.) (
11.85–17.26 mm
) (NCHUZOOL 13348), Jimei, Xiamen, coll. H.-T. Shih & J.-H. Lee,
1 Jul. 2004
; 10 3 (
12.4–25.84 mm
), 4ƤƤ (
11.19–20.3 mm
) (MBMCAS 166385), Zhuta, Yunxiao, Zhangzhou,
3 Apr. 1985
.
Hong Kong
: 1 3 (
23.31 mm
) (NCHUZOOL 13349), Tai O, coll. K.J.H. Wong & K.H. Lo,
28 Apr. 2009
.
Hainan
: 8 3 (
17.18–23.26 mm
), 3 ovig. ƤƤ (
15.96–16.85 mm
) (NCHUZOOL 13351), Dongzhai, coll. H.- T. Shih & J.-H. Lee,
23 Jun. 2004
.
FIGURE 1.
Chinese localities (circles) for the
Uca
specimens collected and mentioned in this study.
Live coloration.
Carapace dark brown, mottled with light yellow (
Fig. 2
A); or light brown (
Fig. 2
C). Eyestalk brownish green (
Fig. 2
A–C). Major chela with manus bright orange-red, fingers white (
Fig. 2
B).
Ambulatory legs black (
Fig. 2
A–C). Juvenile with carapace creamy white, especially antero-dorsally; legs bright orange (
Fig. 2
D).
Distribution.
Continental
China
and
Vietnam
(
Table 1
).
Remarks.
The species is distributed from southern Shandong (Yellow Sea), along the coasts of Southeast and South
China
, to northern
Vietnam
(
Crane 1975
;
Dai
et al.
1986
;
Dai & Yang 1991
;
Kosuge
et al.
1997
).
Uca acuta
prefers muddy habitats along the continental coast, habits similar to
U. paradussumieri
, but the two species do not occur in
Taiwan
(including Penghu Island) (
Crane 1975
;
Shih 1994
; Ng
et al.
2001;
Shih
et al.
2008
).
FIGURE 2.
Photographs in life of
Uca acuta
(Stimpson, 1858)
from Xiamen, Fujian, China (A–C, NCHUZOOL 13348; A, B, CW 18.92 mm; C, CW 17.26 mm; and D) and
U. arcuata
(De Haan, 1835)
from Dongzhai, Hainan, China (E–F) (NCHUZOOL 13363, CW 33.84 mm). A, E, dorsal view of adult male; B, F, frontal view of adult male; C, dorsal view of adult female; D, juvenile.
Uca acuta
is almost always sympatric with
U. arcuata
, and both species are also similar in coloration and general morphology (
Crane 1975
;
Jones & Morton 1994
;
Kosuge
et al.
1997
), although
U. arcuata
is generally larger.
Crane (1975)
reported the largest CW of the above two species as
37 mm
and
22 mm
, respectively (our largest specimen of
U. acuta
attained
25.84 mm
CW). However, they are easily distinguished in the field by coloration and size in the field (
Fig. 2
A–F), and the tubercle size on the major palm (
Fig. 2
A, B, E, F). Preserved specimens can also be distinguished by the structure of the anterior and posterior flanges of the G1 (see key;
Crane 1975
: 625, fig. 61B, J;
Jones & Morton 1994
: 11, figs. 1, 2). During our collections, both species were collected from higher intertidal mudflats around mangroves, in Xiamen, Fujian and Dongzhai, northern Hainan Island. Due to their similarity,
U. acuta
has probably been confused and mixed with
U. arcuata
in earlier surveys from Southeast and South
China
, and older records of both species need be checked.
TABLE 1.
The records of
Uca
species in different province or area of China (cf. Fig. 1) and Vietnam, according to the distribution from north to south.?, record questioned, see Remarks under each species.
Shandong |
Jiangsu (including Shanghai) |
Zhejiang |
Fujian |
Guangdong (including Hong Kong) |
Guangxi |
Hainan |
Vietnam |
Uca arcuata
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
Uca acuta
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
Uca paradussumieri
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
Uca lactea
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
Uca borealis
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
Uca crassipes
|
* |
* |
* |
Uca triangularis
|
* |
Uca dussumieri
|
*? |
Uca annulipes
|
* |
Uca coarctata
*?
Uca tetragonon
*
Uca typhoni
*
Uca vocans
*? *