A revised dichotomous key for the mangrove crab genus Scylla de Haan, 1833 (Brachyura, portunidae)

College

College of Science

Department/Unit

Biology

Document Type

Article

Source Title

Crustaceana

Volume

91

Issue

7

First Page

847

Last Page

865

Publication Date

1-1-2018

Abstract

Species identification in mangrove crabs of the genus Scylla De Haan, 1833 is problematic, due to the high intraspecific variation and the continuity of diagnostic features. To determine the hierarchy of characters that are most useful in differentiating Scylla species from the Philippines, 1,185 mangrove crabs were collected from seven sites across the Philippines. Morphological species identification was contrasted with morphometric and molecular techniques. The hierarchy of characters in the existing dichotomous key resulted in the misidentification of 245 samples. Errors stem from asymmetry in the features of the chelipeds and the continuity in the features of the frontal lobe spines. Considering mainly morphological characters, the most reliable traits were the geometric patterns in the swimming and walking legs. Nonetheless, 27 individuals with morphological ambiguities exhibited unique patterns in digested nuclear ITS-1 fragments, unreported in any known species of Scylla. A revised hierarchy of characters resulted in a 97.8% match with molecular species identification. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2018.

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Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1163/15685403-00003798

Disciplines

Biology

Keywords

Crabs—Variation--Philippines; Swimming crabs—Philippines; Scylla (Crustacea)--Philippines

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