%0 Journal Article
%T Breeding period in the mangrove crab Goniopsis cruentata (Decapoda: Grapsidae) in Northeast Brazil
%A Jos谷 Jonathas Pereira Rodrigues de Lira
%A Tereza Cristina dos Santos Calado
%A Marina de S芍 Leitˋo Camara de Ara迆jo
%J Revista de Biolog赤a Tropical
%D 2013
%I Universidad de Costa Rica
%X The brachyuran crabs are iteroparous species which present a high diversification of reproduction patterns, which may have evolved as a species-specific response to environmental conditions. Tropical species commonly present a year-round reproduction due to stable environment conditions. Goniopsis cruentata is a crab species widely distributed along the Western Atlantic, inhabiting practically every microhabitat in the mangrove ecosystem. The aim of the present study is to determine the breeding period of the crab Goniopsis cruentata in Northeastern Brazil and also to evaluate the influence of water salinity, rainfall and air and water temperature on it. A total of 71 ovigerous females, captured from August-2007 to July-2008, were used to assess the breeding period of this species. It was analyzed by the monthly proportion of ovigerous females. A correlation was applied to verify the influence of the abiotic factors on the breeding period. The present population bred seasonal-continuously with peaks in the dry period, which was not associated with monthly variations of salinity, rainfall and air and water temperatures. Therefore, according to statistical analyses, our hypothesis was refuted. However, breeding was intensified in the dry period, when salinity and temperatures were higher and rainfall was lower. We conclude that, even though breeding is not related to monthly variation of environmental factors, it occurs in periods of higher salinity and temperatures and lower rainfall. Los cangrejos Brachyura son especies iter車paras, que presentan alta diversificaci車n en los patrones de reproducci車n, que pueden haber evolucionado como una respuesta espec赤fica de la especie a las condiciones ambientales. Las especies tropicales frecuentemente presentan una reproducci車n en todo el a o debido a las condiciones estables del medio. El cangrejo Goniopsis cruentata es una especie ampliamente distribuida en largo del Atl芍ntico occidental, y que habita pr芍cticamente cada micro-h芍bitat en el ecosistema de manglar. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el periodo de reproducci車n del cangrejo G. cruentata en el noreste de Brasil. Un total de 71 hembras ovadas, fueron capturadas entre agosto 2007 y julio 2008, y utilizadas para obtener el periodo de reproducci車n de esta especie. Nuestra hip車tesis es que, ya que las zonas tropicales no presentan gran variaci車n de las temperaturas, las oscilaciones temporales de la salinidad son el principal factor que influye en la actividad reproductiva de G. cruentata. Se analiz車 el per赤odo reproductivo mediante la proporci車n
%K historia de vida
%K reproducci車n
%K hembras ovadas
%K par芍metros ambientales
%K manglar.
%K life-history
%K reproduction
%K ovigerous females
%K environmental parameters
%K mangroves
%U http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442013000100003