| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中興大學 === 生命科學院碩士在職專班 === 101 === This study focused on the degree of diffence in gastric mills of fiddler crabs among and within subgenera and species, and whether these characters can be used for the taxonomy of fiddler crabs. The specimens used were collected from Indo-West Pacific region, including the subgenera Australuca, Austruca, Cranuca, Gelasimus, Paraleptuca and Tubuca. Other specimens of fiddler crabs outside the Indo-West Pacific, and other genera of the superfamily Ocypodoidea, were used for comparison. The morphology of urocardiac ossicle of stomach of these crabs was examined and described. The results showed that the urocardiac ossicles are very different among genera of the superfamily Ocypodoidea. There are various degrees of morphological differences among subgenera and species of Uca. For example, all species of the U. lactea-complex of Austruca, except U. lactea, have similar morphology of gastric mills. Regarding the difference within a species, different individuals within U. perplexa or U. formosensis still have similar gastric mills. It is suggested that the morphology of urocardiac ossicle of gastric mill should be useful in classification of some groups (subgenera and species) of Indo-West Pacific fiddler crabs.
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