THE WATER AND HEAT RELATIONSHIPS OF FIDDLER CRABS (Uca spp.)

The paper reports work on the water and heat relationships of five species of Uca at Inhaca Island, Mocambique. The species urvillei, marionis, chlorophthalmus, annulipes and inversa generally speaking occupy progressively more terrestrial habitats. They stand in this order (except marionis) as regards their sharply defined upper lethal temperatures (40·0°C. for urvillei, 43·3°C. for inversa) and in respect of transpiration rates (inversa being anomalous). Upper lethal temperatures are about 2°C. lower for each species in September than in January. Lower lethal temperatures are less well defined and lie between 7·0° and 8·5°C. for all species. No short-term acclimatization in crabs was found, although it occurs in Oniscus asellus. Measurements by fine thermocouples show that body temperatures are depressed by about 1·5° to 7·0°C. in various conditions. Species which transpire faster generally have lower body temperatures. In direct sunlight the temperatures of living crabs are lower than those of dead, dr...

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