A case of bilateral hypertrophy in the chelae of a male specimen of Minuca rapax (Smith, 1870) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Ocypodidae)

Abstract The present study describes the first record of bilaterally hypertrophied chelipeds in a male fiddler crab, Minuca rapax (Smith, 1870), collected in the mangrove area near the city of Jaguaribe, located in the northern portion of Itamaracá Island in Pernambuco, Brazil. This particular specimen was captured by hand as it emerged from its burrow. Of the total 126 individuals (48 females and 78 males) of the genus Minuca (Bott, 1954) captured, only one presented chelipeds similar in size and shape. Some of the causes of malformation in decapods have been attributed to a double generation of growth areas or non-synchronous regenerative coordination in wound healing. Due to the lack of studies on the definitive cause of these abnormalities and deformations, further investigations are required to determine the roles of individuals with abnormalities within populations as well as the principal causes of these abnormalities.