ETHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE FIDDLER CRAB UCA LATIMANUS RATHBUN, 1893 IN THE ESTUARY EL SALADO, PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO, MEXICO

Resumen

This study was conducted in the rainy (June-August 2013) and dry season (April 2014) in the El Salado estuary, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico to understand the behavior of fiddler crabs Uca latimanus Rathbun, 1893 by means of films. Observe behaviors were: feeding, walking (displacement), feeding and walking, standing (stationary), aggression and defense, agitation chela; the feed rate was also obtained. The temperature ranged between 29 and 38 ° C in the two seasons. In rainy season the presence of U. latimanus, mainly due to the humidity when it reaches a maximum of 80% of the land and their behavior is influenced by the daily weather conditions. The organisms spend more time feeding and shaking the chelipeds, but these do not occur simultaneously. The aggression is not only seen among males, which also attack females. U. latimanus males inhabit burrows with sedimentary structures (domed) However, not observed or if females are those who are in charge of construction. In dry season, U. latimanus lives only in small patches of marsh and flood behavior is limited to food. As to feeding time, females are twice as fast than males doing this activity at low tide. U. latimanus cohabits with Uca princeps princeps and Uca zacae, however the first presents a specific territory.