Weak males do not work hard: Reproductive investment of deficient male fiddler crabs, Austruca lactea

Abstract

In iteroparous animals, it may be adaptive to adjust the amount of reproductive investment based on their current competitive ability. Male fiddler crabs use an enlarged major claw for claw-waving display in the breeding season. Males sometimes lose their claws, but they can regenerate a claw, which is an inferior weapon for male-male fights. Here, we compared the waving frequency between males with a regenerated claw (regenerated males) and with an original claw (original males) to examine the differences in the amount of reproductive investment. Regenerated males showed lower waving frequency than original males, but some regenerate males waved frequently before the optimal mating season where original males waved frequently. These results indicate that individuals with poor fighting ability that have lower chance of acquiring females invested less in waving, and may also have shifted their peak of mating period in order to avoid competition with original males.