Table 2

Definition of agonistic and sexual behaviours

Behaviours

Agonistic level

Behavioural elements

Agonistic behaviours:

Fleeing

-2

Tail flipping, walking away quickly

Avoidance

-1

Walking away slowly, turning away from opponent

Separate

0

Animals separate

Initiation

1

Approach or following opponent, turn towards opponent

Threat display

2

High on legs, meral spreading

Touching

3a

Animals touching via body, antenna or chela(e) with limited movement

Physical contact (claws do not grasp)

3b

Antenna whipping, claw pushing, claw boxing, claw tapping

Physical contact (claws grasp)

4

Claw lock, clamping chela(e) onto opponents body

Unrestrained aggression

5

Claw snapping, claw ripping

Mating behaviours:

Seizing

N/A

Male grips the female at the rostrum, chela(e) and/or antenna, usually from an angled position

Turning

N/A

Male secures pereopods around the cephalothorax of the female (either from an adjacent position or by climbing on top of the female) and turns her ventral side up

Mounting

N/A

Male holds female so ventral surfaces are facing and maintained in a parallel position

Spermatophore deposition

N/A

Arching and depression of the male abdomen while depositing spermatophores on female ventral surface. Pauses common between cycles.

Dismount

N/A

Female is released from the mounting position through movement of the pereopods or chela(e)

For full descriptions of behaviours, see [25,44].

Berry and Breithaupt BMC Biology 2010 8:25   doi:10.1186/1741-7007-8-25