Abstract

DA NOBREGA ALVES, Rômulo Romeu  and  KIOHARU NISHIDA, Alberto. A ecdise do caranguejo-uçá, ucides cordatus l. (decapoda, brachyura) na visão dos caranguejeiros. INCI [online]. 2002, vol.27, n.3, pp.110-117. ISSN 0378-1844.

The mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) has a relevant ecological role and is one of the most exploited resources in Brazilian mangroves. Crab collectors possess a substantial knowledge about the biology of that crustacean and about the abiotic factors related to its life cycle. This paper aimed to investigate the crab collector’s perception of the environmental factors and the behaviour of the mangrove crab during moulting in the estuary of the Mamanguape river, Paraíba State, Brazil. According to the collectors, moulting has a close relation to the lunar and tidal cycles, and they use the term "embatumamento" to designate the entire process. Based on data obtained through experienced crab collectors, we confronted scientific and empirical knowledge about the moulting process, and the results revealed an overlap between these two sources of information. Moulting starts and ends when the amplitude between high and low tides starts to be reduced, and lasts about 28-29 days. Collector’s knowledge can aid scientific studies and should be taken into consideration when regulatory measures are proposed.

Keywords : Catador de Caranguejo ; Caranguejo-uçá; Ciclo Lunar ; Ecdise ; Percepção Ambiental ; Manguezal ; Ucides cordatus.