Burrow morphology of three species of fiddler crab (Uca) along the coast of Pakistan

Abstract

Burrowing by crabs is an important component of their functional role in mangrove biotopes. The Fiddler crab (Uca) is one of the more conspicuous burrowing organisms in the mangrove areas of Pakistan. To evaluate interspecific differences in burrowing behaviour between three species of Uca (U. annulipes, U. chlorophthalmus and U. sindensis), we compared vegetation cover, sediment composition and burrow morphology by using plaster of Paris casts. Five burrow morphology characters were measured (burrow number, depth, length, volume, and diameter of the burrow openings). Nearly all the morphological characters of the burrows differed significantly between species. The burrow morphology variations were correlated with the tidal level (distance from the water mark during low tide), porosity, percent organic matter, vegetation cover and structure of the sediments. The species-specific differences in the burrows cautions against generalizing regarding the functional role of fiddler crabs along the coast of Pakistan.