Size and sex bias in air-exposure behavior during low tide of the intertidal hermit crab Clibanarius virescens (Krauss, 1843) (Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae)

Abstract

Abstract Many species of the hermit crab Clibanarius (Diogenidae) live on rocky shores of tropical and warm temperate regions. Some of these species are known to climb out from tidal pools onto rock surfaces exposed to air during low tide. The ecological significance of this behavior, however, remains unclear. We investigated the differences between air-exposed and non-air-exposed Clibanarius virescens (Krauss, 1843) in relation to their body size, sex, and infestation by three species of parasitic bopyrid isopods. Our generalized additive model (GAM) analyses showed a significant effect of the “smoothing factor” of the interaction between body size and sex for the occurrences of the “air-exposure behavior.” The presence of the ectoparasitic isopods did not affect the air-exposure behavior. Females of C. virescens showed a more distinct trend than in males, whereas air-exposure in both sexes had a peak in approximately 3.0–4.0 mm shield size (comparatively larger size in females, and middle-size in males) and decreased after this size range. Intraspecific and/or interspecific competition for shells may be intense in hermit crabs of this size range because of size overlap, and the individuals that carry suitable shells may avoid such competition by actively escaping from tide pools at low tide.