title: Reproduction and management of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Crustacea, Brachyura, Ucididae) at Iguape, São Paulo, Brazil.
abstract: The mangrove crab Ucides cordatus is one of the most exploited crustaceans in Brazil. The present study investigated the breeding season of this species and the period of the "andada" phenomenon, when the crabs are active outside their burrows and perform agonistic behaviors. Furthermore related them to environmental factors, in a mangrove on the coast of Brazil, with inferences about management of this crab. The crabs reproduced from October through February. The "andada" occurred from November through February, with typical characteristics in the first two months, during the full and new moon periods, and was influenced positively by the air and soil temperature, luminosity, and tidal amplitude, and negatively by salinity. Based on the results of the present study, the period when the "andada" occurs in other parts of Brazil could be defined, which will aid in managing this fishery. For Iguape, state of São Paulo, Brazil, we suggest a legal off-season for both sexes in December or during the full and new moon, including January.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Aquicultura e Pesca, Instituto de Pesca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Bruno S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sant'Anna
authors.affiliation: Universidade Santa Cecília/UNISANTA, Santos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Roberto P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Amazonas/UFAM, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia/ICET, Itacoatiara, AM, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista/UNESP, Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista/ CLP, São Vicente, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcelo A A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003386:Brachyura / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005398:Fisheries; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons