CRABS (BRACHYURA) OF THE GULF OF MEXICO

142 Lawrence W. Powers
and Flemister, 1951; Flemister, 1958), ionic and osmotic regulation (Gifford,
1962a), gill and "kidney" histophysiology (Flemister, 1959), biochemistry of
terrestrial adaptations (Vernberg and Vernberg, 1968), thoracic neurosecretion
(Maynard, 1961a, 1961b; Maynard and Maynard, 1962), and visual perception
(Schone and Schone, 1961). Studies of acoustic perception and related behavior
include Horch and Salmon (1969), Horch (1971), and Salmon and Horch
(1972).
t/ca Leach, 1814
(This genus of intertidal ocypodids, along with a few other Australo-
Asian genera, are commonly known as fiddler crabs. A number of subgenera
have been proposed for this large and diverse genus. Bott (1973)
split this genus into 10 genera and Crane (1975) also created a number
of subgenera. Although Crane's (1975) monograph is a comprehensive
and monumental work, taxonomic precedence must be given to Bott
(1973) with regard to most of these proposed changes. For the present,
and in agreement with a review by von Hagen (1976), this compilation
will avoid the use of subgenera and will continue the use of IJca, with
the species arranged alphabetically.)
t/ca fcwrgers/Holthuis, 1967 (Zool. Meded. Leiden 42: 52)
As U. inordax—Rathbun, 1918, p. 391 (part), not text-fig. 166, nor pi. 134, figs.
3^; Maccagno, 1928, p. 46 (part); de Oliviera, 1939a, p. 138; Holthuis, 1939, p.
265.
As U. feurgrersi'—Holthuis, 1967, p. 32; Chace & Hcbbs, 1969, p. 207, figs. 70,
71a-d; Gibbs, 1974, p. 84; Crane, 1973, p, 168, figs. 26F, 31H, 34G, 66F, 100, pi.
24E-H, map 12.
Range: Bahamas; east coast of Florida; northeast (Gulf) coast of Yucatan;
north and south coasts of Cuba; Jamaica; Hispaniola; Puerto Rico; St. Thomas,
Virgin Islands to Trinidad; Curasao; east coast of Yucatan to Guatamala; Caribbean
coast of Panama; Venezuela to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Habitat: sheltered mud flats; sloping mud banks and mud-sand areas at mouths
of streams; along shores of lagoons and estuaries; often near mangroves; intertidal;
above high tide mark in mangrove thickets of Florida, associated with V.
rapax.
Remarks: Earlier references confused this species with V. mordax, to which it
is similar in morphology, ecology, and geographical range. This species was also
recorded as V. affinis by Holthuis (1959), when he distinguished it from V.
mordax in Surinam. Records of this crab from west Africa are questioned by
Crane (1975). Crane (1957) included data on waving displays as part of her
description of V. mordax. Adaptation to intertidal zone habitats was reported by
von Hagen (1970b) and Salmon (1967) obtained sound recordings of legwagging
(as V. mordax). Gibbs (1974) investigated the ecology of this crab on
Barbuda and Gibbs and Bryan (1972) studied cation composition of the exoskeleton.