Behavioral repertoire of Kingsleya attenboroughi Pinheiro and Santana 2016 (Crustacea Brachyura) under laboratory conditions

Abstract

Freshwater crabs present cryptic habits and generally live in burrows, rocks and leaves among the vegetation, in streams or rivers. The behavior of Kingsleya attenboroughi, a recently discovered freshwater crab already at considerable risk of extinction, was investigated under laboratory conditions for 12 hr in a light/dark cycle. Nine K. attenboroughi behavioral acts were described in six distinct categories: emersion, immersion, environment exploration, feeding, stance and self-cleaning. The present results show a significant difference in behavior between the 12 hr light/dark cycle, but not between sexes. This study contributes to understanding the physiological needs, ecological interactions and to the development of conservation strategies.

KEY WORDS:

• behavior
• freshwater crab
• ethogram
• Pseudothelphusidae
• Kingsleya

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We thank the Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (FUNCAP) for the financial support and fellowship to A.P. Pinheiro, W.M. do Nascimento (#BP3-00139-00166.01.07/18; BMD-0008-00344.01.12/18) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ) for the fellowship to C.A. do Nascimento (#134132/2018-1). We also thank the Universidade Regional do Cariri (URCA) and Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará (IFCE) for the logistic support.