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Rozaimi R, Shu-Chien AC, Wang Y, Sutikno S, Ikhwanuddin M, Shi X, Azmie G, Fazhan H, Waiho K. Heterochely and handedness in the orange mud crab Scylla olivacea: implication for future culture practice optimisation. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15143. [PMID: 37033733 PMCID: PMC10078446 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Asymmetric body traits in bilateral organisms are common and serve a range of different functions. In crustaceans, specifically among brachyuran crabs, heterochely and handedness in some species are known to aid in behavioural responses such as food acquisition, and sexual and territorial displays. However, the heterochely of the intertidal mud crab genus Scylla is still poorly understood. This study investigated the cheliped morphometric characteristics of orange mud crab Scylla olivacea and the relation of heterochely and handedness to sex. Scylla olivacea is heterochelous, with predominant right-handed (70.2%). Three morphometric variables, i.e., propodus length (PL), propodus depth (PD), and propodus width (PW) were significantly larger in the right cheliped and the estimated handedness based on these three variables were consistent with the presence of molariform teeth. The effect of sex had no influence on the occurrence of heterochely or handedness. The frequency of left-handedness increased with size, especially in males. We postulate that handedness reversal, a phenomenon seen in other crab species when the dominant hand is lost, also occurs in S. olivacea, thereby resulting in a change in left-handedness frequency. The use of chelipeds by males in mate and territorial defenses might provide an explanation for the higher risk of losing a dominant cheliped and thus, higher left-handedness frequency compared to females. Future behavioural research could shed light on the selective forces that affect the handedness distribution in mud crabs. Knowledge on heterochely and handedness of mud crabs could be useful for future development of less aggressive crab populations by claw reversal and the optimisation of limb autotomy techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusydi Rozaimi
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
| | - Alexander Chong Shu-Chien
- Centre for Chemical Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Youji Wang
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sutikno Sutikno
- Research Center for Applied Zoology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong-Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Mhd Ikhwanuddin
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
- STU-UMT Joint Shellfish Research Laboratory, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Xi Shi
- Engineering Technology Research Center of Henan Province for Aquatic Animal Cultivation, College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Ghazali Azmie
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
| | - Hanafiah Fazhan
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
- Centre for Chemical Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- STU-UMT Joint Shellfish Research Laboratory, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Khor Waiho
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
- Centre for Chemical Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- STU-UMT Joint Shellfish Research Laboratory, Shantou University, Shantou, China
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Palmer AR. What determines direction of asymmetry: genes, environment or chance? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0417. [PMID: 27821528 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Conspicuous asymmetries seen in many animals and plants offer diverse opportunities to test how the development of a similar morphological feature has evolved in wildly different types of organisms. One key question is: do common rules govern how direction of asymmetry is determined (symmetry is broken) during ontogeny to yield an asymmetrical individual? Examples from numerous organisms illustrate how diverse this process is. These examples also provide some surprising answers to related questions. Is direction of asymmetry in an individual determined by genes, environment or chance? Is direction of asymmetry determined locally (structure by structure) or globally (at the level of the whole body)? Does direction of asymmetry persist when an asymmetrical structure regenerates following autotomy? The answers vary greatly for asymmetries as diverse as gastropod coiling direction, flatfish eye side, crossbill finch bill crossing, asymmetrical claws in shrimp, lobsters and crabs, katydid sound-producing structures, earwig penises and various plant asymmetries. Several examples also reveal how stochastic asymmetry in mollusc and crustacean early cleavage, in Drosophila oogenesis, and in Caenorhabditis elegans epidermal blast cell movement, is a normal component of deterministic development. Collectively, these examples shed light on the role of genes as leaders or followers in evolution.This article is part of the themed issue 'Provocative questions in left-right asymmetry'.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Richard Palmer
- Systematics and Evolution Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
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Noever C, Glenner H. The origin of king crabs: hermit crab ancestry under the magnifying glass. Zool J Linn Soc 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Noever
- Marine Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Henrik Glenner
- Marine Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Norway
- CMEC, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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