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Male mate choice and male–male competition in the hermit crab Pagurus nigrofascia: importance of female quality

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Abstract

Male mate choice has recently been reported in some animals with male–male competition. In the laboratory, we examined whether males choose their mates based on female quality that was indicated by body size and/or days to prenuptial molt, and the effects of female quality on male–male competition in the hermit crab Pagurus nigrofascia. We collected samples from April to May 2009 at an intertidal shore in Hokkaido, Japan (41°N, 140°E). When a male simultaneously encountered two receptive females in the mate choice experiment, males chose females which require less time to molt. When a male guarding a female with less time to molt was challenged by an intruder, the guarding male defended the female for a longer period and was more likely to win the contest. These results indicate that male P. nigrofascia use time to molt to discriminate between females.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Marine Biology, Graduate School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, 041-8611, Japan

    Yutaro Suzuki, Chiaki Yasuda, Fumio Takeshita & Satoshi Wada

Authors
  1. Yutaro Suzuki
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  2. Chiaki Yasuda
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  3. Fumio Takeshita
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  4. Satoshi Wada
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Correspondence to Satoshi Wada.

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Communicated by S. Connell.

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Suzuki, Y., Yasuda, C., Takeshita, F. et al. Male mate choice and male–male competition in the hermit crab Pagurus nigrofascia: importance of female quality. Mar Biol 159, 1991–1996 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1986-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1986-6

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