Agonistic behaviour of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say)
1977; Elsevier BV; Volume: 25; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0003-3472(77)90082-3
ISSN1095-8282
Autores Tópico(s)Marine and fisheries research
ResumoTwo-act sequence analysis was used to analyse the intraspecific agonistic behaviour of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria. Eight acts observed were displays with communicatory value because the behaviour of the recipient crab was altered following their performance. In 96 per cent of the trials, one individual established dominance, usually by means of visual or low-intensity tactile displays. Fights with extensive bilateral aggression were infrequent. These results indicate a relatively high degree of ritualization. Dominance was correlated with larger size, the male sex, and prior possession of a burrow. Interactions between animals of different sizes or of different sexes were characterized by a lower frequency of fights than encounters between animals of similar size or of the same sex.
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