Abstract
Freshwater crabs exhibit complex behavioral patterns, including those related to mating, which is generally characterized by the approach of the male towards the female. Kingsleya attenboroughi Pinheiro and Santana, 2016 is a pseudothelphusid freshwater crab endemic to Brazil. As with other species from this family, K. attenboroughi is nocturnal. The main objective of the present study is to describe the mating behavior of K. attenboroughi and to evaluate if the molt cycle stage influences mating. The crabs were allocated to pairs and filmed for 24 hr. The mating behavior of the species was characterized by the physical positioning of the male under the female, with an elaborate courtship occurring prior to copulation. The molt cycle appears to influence mating since mating occurred predominantly between pairs in which males were in the inter-molt stage and females were in the post-molt stage.
Keywords
Behavior; Brazil; Neotropical crab; reproduction; Semiarid