Relationships between the morphological characteristics, inhabitations and behavior ecology of crabs in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Kuan-Hsing Lee, 李冠興
• Other Authors: B.Q. Huang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/51668193778551678767

碩士 === 國立臺灣海洋大學 === 環境生物與漁業科學學系 === 93 === The purpose of this thesis is to understand the relationships between morphological characteristics, inhabitations and behavior ecology of crabs in Taiwan by recording and analyzing the crab specimens sourced from the Peikuan Crab Museum. There are 280 species of crabs according to the taxonomic identifications of all crab specimens. During the process of this research, 20 kinds of new species or new record species of crabs were found, including both subfamily Rhizopine and family Retroplumidae. As a result, families of crabs in Taiwan increase to 40. According to the above-mentioned information, an index of crabs in Taiwan, inhabitations and behavior ecology was established and results were analyzed as follows (1), it doesn't completely match the hypothesis of abyssal gigantism after analyzing the same family of crabs. The result displays evolution tendency of maximum or minimum. (2), it accords completely with the hypothesis that body colors of marine biology tend to be orange or white after analyzing the same family of crabs. Furthermore, the delimitation of body colors turning to be orange or white is between 100 and 200 meters deep. (3), sea crabs, living on reef or silt areas, have different evolution tendency of pereiopods after comparing the dactylus of the same phylogenetic crabs. Crabs living on reef areas have cone dactylus with rich seta inside it. Instead, those who living on silt areas have shovel dactylus with rich seta outside it. (4), morphological characteristics of crabs have evolved into four different trends to escape from the natural enemies. (i)as most people know, mimicry is the form of imitating the habitats or other organisms, like Family Parthenopidae (ii)another mimicry is to use materials around their habitats and stick them to crabs themselves, Family Majidae, for example (iii)Family Xanthidae are toxic crabs with attractive, bright colors as a symbol of warning (iv)another example of crabs, like Family Ocypodidae and Mictyridae, have beautiful colors but no poison. They survive from nature enemies by living together within big groups. (5), the study finds that morphological characteristics of crabs living on land evolve into three different ways to avoid lose water. (i)the gill will increase area and change the structure. (ii)the ischium will evolve absorbent fine hair. (iii) the side of the merus will evolve the thigh window to increase the gas exchange.