ISSN:
1573-5133
Keywords:
Uca annulipes (fiddler crab)
;
Paddy fields
;
Salt pan
;
Selective feeding
;
Substrate selection
;
Loam soil
;
Excursion
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Synopsis The snake eel Pisoodonophis boro burrows, causing leaks in the embankments and damaging the paddy fields and salt pans near estuaries. Field observations and laboratory experiments were made to study this behavior. P. boro was burrowing to eat the fiddler crab Uca annulipes in the mud flats. The eel showed a patchy distribution within the Uca zone. Salinity and the physical nature of the deposits controlled the distribution of the eel. Eel population density was low when the estuary was completely filled with neritic waters during the summer and fresh water during the monsoon period. The region of greatest abundance contained a good mixture of sand, silt and clay. Eels were not found where medium and fine sand formed the bulk of the substratum. The laboratory experiments showed that P. boro preferred loam soil although it could invariably burrow into hard substratum like sand for protection. The eel adapted itself to the experimental substrates ranging from sand to fine clay. However, their natural distribution was determined by Uca distribution. As U. annulipes is not found either in salt pans or in paddy fields P. boro rarely occurs in these habitats.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00001126
Permalink