Burrowing Time of the Three Indonesian Hippoid Crabs After Artificial Dislodgment
Abstract: Three species of
hippoid crabs are the target species of intertidal fishery along coastal line
in District Cilacap, south Java; namely Emerita emeritus, Hippa adactyla and
Albunea symmista. In Adipala sandy beach, Cilacap an experiment was conducted to reveal the
burrowing time and velocity of the crabs. The experiment was performed by
removing the crabs from their burrows, measuring their carapace length, and
releasing them immediately on the substrate. Burrowing time was measured from
the start of burrowing to the disappearance of the entire carapace under the
sediment surface. Among the three species, E. emeritus had the fastest
burrowing time. As a consequence in terms of velocity, the burrowing velocity
of Albunea symmista was higher than that of Hippa adactyla and Emerita
emeritus; meaning that with the same size A. symmista needs longer time to
burrow. By evaluating with other previous studies, the burrowing time and
burrowing velocity of the three sand crabs were comparable. The ability of fast
burrowing in the three species seems likely to be the advantage for their
survival in large wave disturbed coarse sandy habitat and for their ability to
widely exist along the sandy coast of south Java.
Penulis: Yusli Wardiatno,
Yuyun Qonita, Agus Alim Hakim
Journal Code: jpperikanangg160017
