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Distribution of Horseshoe Crabs, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, and Tachypleus gigas in Singapore, Including Coney Island

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International Horseshoe Crab Conservation and Research Efforts: 2007- 2020

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Abstract

Horseshoe crabs are vital in the marine ecosystem food web, but their populations are decreasing in the face of growing threats. There are four extant species of horseshoe crabs worldwide, but only Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus gigas are found in Singapore. The distribution of horseshoe crab populations across four locations on mainland Singapore and offshore Coney Island was surveyed. There was a higher abundance of C. rotundicauda than T. gigas due to the larger mangrove coverage at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The high number of carcasses found at northeastern Singapore may be due to anthropogenic activities. Live T. gigas were found at Coney Island, Punggol Settlement, and Changi Beach, with amplexus pairs reported for Changi Beach and Coney Island during full and new moon periods. Survey results demonstrated that there was little overlap in distribution between both species, with coexistence occurring only on Coney Island, where there was one observed incidence of cross-species amplexus. Results from this survey would help provide additional baseline data to aid horseshoe crab conservation efforts in Singapore, which is important since they are listed as “Data Deficient” in the IUCN Red List, and C. rotundicauda and T. gigas are classified as “Vulnerable” and “Endangered,” respectively, in the Singapore Red Data Book.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore, under its Marine Science Research and Development program (Award No. MSRDP-P19).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Science, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore

    Jasmin Lim, Yi Long Ng, Oliver Chang & Laura Yap

  2. Comparative Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Proteos, Singapore

    Prashant Shingate, Boon Hui Tay & Byrappa Venkatesh

  3. National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Qian Tang & Frank Rheindt

  4. National Parks Board, Singapore, Singapore

    Hor Yee Tong & Karenne Tun

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  1. Jasmin Lim
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Correspondence to Jasmin Lim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Studies (BCES) Molloy College, Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring (CERCOM), Earth and Environmental Sciences, West Sayville, NY, USA

    John T. Tanacredi

  2. Department of Natural Sciences, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

    Mark L. Botton

  3. Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Paul K. S. Shin

  4. Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring (CERCOM), Molloy College, West Sayville, NY, USA

    Yumiko Iwasaki

  5. Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Siu Gin Cheung

  6. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China

    Kit Yue Kwan

  7. Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA

    Jennifer H. Mattei

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Lim, J. et al. (2022). Distribution of Horseshoe Crabs, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, and Tachypleus gigas in Singapore, Including Coney Island. In: Tanacredi, J.T., et al. International Horseshoe Crab Conservation and Research Efforts: 2007- 2020. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82315-3_16

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