Delayed copulation as a means of female choice by the hermit crab Pagurus filholi

Yamanoi, Takahiro; Yoshino, Kenji; Kon, Koetsu; Goshima, Seiji

doi:10.1007/s10164-005-0182-2

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Females of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) apparently release sex pheromones to attract males and may resist male guarding attempts (Gleeson 1980;Jivoff and Hines 1998), but whether or not females employ cryptic mate choice remains to be answered. Attraction of additional, competitive males via chemical signaling might co-occur with a delay of reproduction to increase chances of a successful mating with a preferred male, as it appears to be the case in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi (Imafuku 1986;Yamanoi et al 2006). The ability of females to delay molting and ovulation when no males are present has been reported from a number of crustaceans (e.g., Mocquard et al 1976;Ward 1984;Shuster 1989bShuster , 1990Iribarne et al 1995;Brockerhoff and McLay 2005).…”

Section: Exploiting Male Behaviormentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Hence, cryptic female choice opportunities seem limited to female behavior during male guarding and copulation, or selective sperm-egg interactions. Nevertheless, females can delay copulation by withdrawing into their shells and thereby increase chances of re-mating with a more dominant male that displaces the guarding male (Yamanoi et al 2006). Exploitation of male-male competition relies on high encounter chances with a dominant male, which is promoted by releasing sex pheromones to attract males and provoke male-male combats (Imafuku 1986;Okamura and Goshima 2010).…”

Section: Pagurus Filholimentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Females cannot escape male precopulatory guarding attempts and ovulate shortly after copulation (Yamanoi et al 2006). Hence, cryptic female choice opportunities seem limited to female behavior during male guarding and copulation, or selective sperm-egg interactions.…”

Section: Pagurus Filholimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cryptic Female Choice in Crustaceans

Dennenmoser

Thiel

2015

Cryptic Female Choice in Arthropods

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Cryptic female choice may be common among crustaceans , but few studies have thoroughly examined it in this diverse taxonomic group. Herein, we summarize current genetic evidence for multiple paternity and skewed offspring ratios in crustaceans, and document observations that could suggest cryptic female choice. Behaviors indicative of cryptic female choice have been reported from numerous crustacean taxa (e.g., crayfish , hermit crabs , isopods ), showcasing a diverse array of behavioral mechanisms such as failed copulations, spermatophore removal , selective sperm passage, chemical signaling , adjusting duration of receptivity, delayed copulation , or discriminative reproductive investment in favor of preferred males. We highlight a few case studies, in which a suite of different cryptic behaviors permits females to maintain control over fertilizations. The possibility of selective sperm–egg interactions is briefly discussed, and parallels to other aquatic invertebrates are drawn revealing similar cryptic choice mechanisms. The disparity of body forms and reproductive strategies found in crustaceans and the fact that they inhabit many different habitats with variable selective environments makes them an ideal model taxon for future studies on cryptic female choice

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Section: Exploiting Male Behaviormentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Pagurus Filholimentioning

confidence: 98%

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Cryptic Female Choice in Crustaceans

Dennenmoser

Thiel

2015

Cryptic Female Choice in Arthropods

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“…As sexual dimorphism in body size is usually observed in the hermit crab in which males are larger than females (Yoshino et al 2002;Goshima et al 2006), female resistance does not lead to rejection of male attempts to secure precopulatory guarding. The females passively accept guarding by the males, and then adopt antagonistic behavior by releasing sex pheromones while guarded (Yamanoi et al 2006;Okamura and Goshima 2010). The released pheromones induce malemale combat between the guarding males and solitary rival males, and the larger male ends up guarding the female.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of combat, the larger males end up guarding the females. Consequently, females choose males indirectly by exploiting male-male competition induced by sex pheromones under male coercive behavior (Yamanoi et al 2006;Okamura and Goshima 2010). Against male coercive behavior, females set the condition for competition among males by delaying copulation and releasing sex pheromones, increasing the chances of mating with successful competitors, and so indirectly choose larger and stronger mates (Okamura and Goshima 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guarding males of the hermit crab climb up algae to avoid male–male competition

Kawaminami

Goshima

2014

J Ethol

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Males of the hermit crab Pagurus filholi show precopulatory guarding behavior in which a male grasps the shell of a mature female with his left cheliped before copulation. Hermit crabs were most common in rocky intertidal areas with cobbles and boulders, while many guarding pairs were observed on fronds of brown algae such as Sargassum confusum in Hakodate Bay, Japan. We examined three hypotheses explaining why the guarding pairs were most common on algae; (1) aggregation place for mature males and females to find mates, (2) avoidance of male-male combat, and (3) avoidance of predators. If solitary males and females climbed up algae, then many guarding pairs were observed after pairing, but only guarding pairs climbed up the algae after removing all crabs. Experiments in aquariums showed that the disturbance rate for guarding pairs due to male-male competition was lower on the algae than in boulder and rocky flat areas, and few disturbances were observed by predatory crabs in all habitat types. These results suggest that the guarding males climb up the fronds of algae to sequester guarded females from rival males and avoid male-male combat. This behavior could be considered as a male counter tactic against indirect female choice mediated by sex pheromones in which females release sex pheromones while guarded, attracting many rival males and inducing male-male competition.

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