A descriptive analysis on the (in)fidelity of mangrove-climbing sesarmid crabs to the mangrove trees in Cancabato Bay, Philippines

Abstract

Five years after Super Typhoon Haiyan, mangroves regrow and mangrove-climbing sesarmid crabs were found in the Cancabato Bay. In a three- month surveillance, four species of mangrove-climbing sesarmid crabs: Aratus pisonii, Episesarma versicolor, Perisesarma bidens, and Selatium brockii were observed in mangrove trees: Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Rhizophora mucronata, and Rhizophora apiculata. They were observed moving into the different parts of the mangrove tree and from one mangrove species to another. Only Selatium brockii was observed clinging to Avicennia marina. This interspecies fidelity was perceived due to food availability and habitat success, which could be an indicator of mangrove status and persistence after a large-scale disturbance. This behavior was manifested in both morning and evening in reference to the rise and fall of the tide.