Activity pattern and spatial strategy in Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Decapoda: Grapsidae) from Mediterranean and Atlantic shores

The spatial strategies and activity patterns of two populations of Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Fabricius), from Italy and Portugal, were studied in the field. The Mediterranean site was a non-tidal splash zone about 30 cm wide, while the Atlantic site was a 30 m wide intertidal belt. Almost all P. marmoratus of both populations were active on the emerged rocks, rarely entering the sea. The Mediterranean crabs actively fed on the algal tuff throughout the 24 h, while in Portugal active crabs were more numerous at night. In the Italian population, all crabs were packed together, although large males had larger activity areas than females and smaller males. In Portugal, the large males were more concentrated in the sublittoral fringe, while both small males and females were confined to the eulittoral and littoral fringe. The Italian P. marmoratus performed feeding loops within areas smaller than 9 m(2). Although most Portuguese crabs showed the same spatial strategy, some of them performed feeding migrations to the sublittoral fringe, covering distances of up to 20 m. Environmental factors (e.g. temperature), physical factors (e.g, refuge availability) and biotic factors (e.g. competitors and predators) of the different shores probably determine the behavioural plasticity of P. marmoratus.