Talorchestia tricornuta Shoemaker (Amphipoda, Talitridae) from Sandy Shores of Gabon: Compass Mechanisms of Orientation

Abstract

We studied the capacity for zonal recovery in an equatorial sandhopper, Talorchesfia tricornuta, inhabiting the sandy beaches of equatorial West Africa. These beaches are often narrow and backed by an evident landscape. The sky usually has heavy cloud cover. The expenments were performed both in a confined environment and in the field, in full sun or an overcast sky, with the magnetic field natural, deviated or absent T. tricomutn was able to assume the correct direction using the sun and magnetic field as orienting factors. Moreover, the releases in the field with the natural landscape visible indicate that the landscape may constitute a further important orienting factor in zonal recovery.