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Genetic evidence for the recognition of two fiddler crabs, Uca iranica and U. albimana (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae), from the northwestern Indian Ocean, with notes on the U. lactea species-complex

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Abstract

The status of two poorly known fiddler crabs, Uca iranica Pretzmann, 1971, from the Persian Gulf, and U. albimana (Kossmann, 1877), from the Red Sea, was studied using two mitochondrial genes: the large subunit (16S) ribosomal (r)RNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). A molecular phylogeny shows both U. iranica and U. albimana to be members of a monophyletic U. lactea species-complex containing six taxa, with three highly supported internal clades. Uca iranica and U. albimana are the closest genetically, but are different enough to be considered valid species (16S rRNA nucleotide divergence > 7.0%, and COI > 11.9%), and form a highly supported “western” clade with U. annulipes (in line with the original morphological concept). A West Pacific “eastern” clade includes U. lactea in the north and the more widely ranging U. perplexa. An Australian endemic species, U. mjoebergi, forms a third monotypic clade.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the National Science Council, Executive Yuan, Taiwan to HTS (NSC96-2621-B-005-005-MY3); and also by the Australian Biological Resources Study, Grant no. 208-72 to PJFD. We thank Sara Fratini, Taewon Kim, Ngan Kee Ng, Benny K. K. Chan, Ping-Ho Ho for help in providing specimens, and I-Chu Chien for undertaking part of the molecular work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Science, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuo-Kuang Road, Taichung, 402, Taiwan

    Hsi-Te Shih

  2. Marine Biology Department, Hormozgan University, Po Box 3995, Bandar Abbas, 79145, Iran

    Ehsan Kamrani

  3. Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia

    Peter J. F. Davie

  4. Biological Oceanography Division, Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, 3F. 106, Sec. 2, Heping E. Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan

    Min-Yun Liu

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  1. Hsi-Te Shih
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  2. Ehsan Kamrani
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  3. Peter J. F. Davie
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  4. Min-Yun Liu
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Correspondence to Hsi-Te Shih.

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Handling editor: C. Sturmbauer

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Shih, HT., Kamrani, E., Davie, P.J.F. et al. Genetic evidence for the recognition of two fiddler crabs, Uca iranica and U. albimana (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae), from the northwestern Indian Ocean, with notes on the U. lactea species-complex. Hydrobiologia 635, 373–382 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9930-6

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