Seasonal and lunar variation in the emergence time of a population of Uca lactea annulipes (Milne-Edwards, 1837) at a shore in Kuwait

摘要

This study monitored the endogenous emergence time of the fiddler crab Uca lactea annulipes (Milne-Edwards, 1837) in the field, for the first time, at an intertidal shore in Kuwait, from 1997 to 2001. The results revealed a significant cyclic change in the median emergence time as the season progressed from winter, through spring and summer, to autumn (.44, 1.29, 3.12, and 1.1h prior to the dead-low tide, respectively). The data also revealed a significant shift in the median emergence time according to moon phase (2.27h at new moon versus 2.56h at full moon prior to the dead-low tide). (Author correspondence: l.almusawi@ropme.org)