Genetic evidence for multiple paternity in the mangrove land crab ucides cordatus (decapoda: Ocypodidae)

Rafael A. Baggio, Maria W. Pil, Walter A. Boeger, Luciana A. Patella, Antonio Ostrensky, Marcio R. Pie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (journal)peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Studies on mating patterns of marine crustaceans are rare, but the few studies on brachyuran crabs to date suggest that polyandrous mating is uncommon. In the present study, we used six microsatellite loci to genotype 8-16 larvae obtained from each of 10 gravid females of the crab Ucides cordatus (Brachyura: Ocypodidae). Based on the number of non-maternal alleles detected among the offspring, at least 40% of the females were inseminated by more than one male. We suggest forced copulation and maintenance of sperm in spermathecae throughout the year as possible causes of polyandry in U. cordatus.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)520-524
Number of pages5
JournalMarine Biology Research
Volume7
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jul 2011

Keywords

  • Mating behavior
  • Polyandry
  • Sexual selection

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Genetic evidence for multiple paternity in the mangrove land crab ucides cordatus (decapoda: Ocypodidae)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this