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The effects of body size, ownership and sex-ratio on the precopulatory mate guarding of Caprella penantis (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2009

Fumio Takeshita  and
Yasuhisa Henmi
Fumio Takeshita*
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan
Yasuhisa Henmi
Affiliation:
Aitsu Marine Station, Center for Marine Environment Studies, Kumamoto University, Matsushima, Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto 861-6102, Japan
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: F. Takeshita, Graduate School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan email: caprella@fish.hokudai.ac.jp
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Abstract

Precopulatory mate guarding behaviour of the skeleton shrimp Caprella penantis is described. Moreover, the effects of body size, ownership and sex-ratio on mate guarding were examined experimentally in the laboratory. In the field population, the operational sex-ratio was male-biased. Guarding pairs, which were collected from the field, continued guarding for an average of 350 minutes in the laboratory, indicating that the normal guarding duration is approximately 10 hours. In this species, two guarding types were found: Type O and Type I-like. In Type O guarding, the male would fold the female into a horseshoe shape, whilst the male held the female parallel to him in Type I-like guarding. In the laboratory experiments, male body size was the most important factor affecting competition for a receptive female; ownership was the secondary factor. Guarding duration was prolonged when the sex-ratio was male-biased. Thus, the precopulatory mate guarding behaviour of C. penantis is influenced by several factors, such as body size, ownership and sex-ratio.

Keywords

precopulatory mate guardingsex-ratioguarding durationCaprella penantis
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 2 , March 2010 , pp. 275 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

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