Genetic evidence for multiple paternity in the mangrove land crab Ucides cordatus (Decapoda: Ocypodidae)

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 6 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.

Keywords:

• Mating behavior
• polyandry
• sexual selection

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Acknowledgements

We thank U. A. Silva for assistance in field collections. This study was funded by SETI/Government of the State of Paraná. MRP was funded by CNPq/MCT (grant 571334/2008-3).

Notes

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark