10.5061/DRYAD.PD256
Green, Patrick A.
Duke University
Patek, Sheila N.
Duke University
Data from: Contests with deadly weapons: telson sparring in mantis shrimp
(Stomatopoda)
Dryad
dataset
2015
agonism
Neogonodactylus bredini
animal weapons
mantis shrimp
aggressive signals
2015-08-27T14:34:51Z
2015-08-27T14:34:51Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0558
105571163 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Mantis shrimp strike with extreme impact forces that are deadly to prey.
They also strike conspecifics during territorial contests, yet theoretical
and empirical findings in aggressive behaviour research suggest
competitors should resolve conflicts using signals before escalating to
dangerous combat. We tested how Neogonodactylus bredini uses two
ritualized behaviours to resolve size-matched contests: meral spread
visual displays and telson (tailplate) strikes. We predicted that (i) most
contests would be resolved by meral spreads, (ii) meral spreads would
reliably signal strike force and (iii) strike force would predict contest
success. The results were unexpected for each prediction. Contests were
not resolved by meral spreads, instead escalating to striking in 33 of 34
experiments. The size of meral spread components did not strongly
correlate with strike force. Strike force did not predict contest success;
instead, winners delivered more strikes. Size-matched N. bredini avoid
deadly combat not by visual displays, but by ritualistically and
repeatedly striking each other's telsons until the loser retreats. We
term this behaviour ‘telson sparring', analogous to sparring in other
weapon systems. We present an alternative framework for mantis shrimp
contests in which the fight itself is the signal, serving as a non-lethal
indicator of aggressive persistence or endurance.
Contest behaviours and striking datasetData on which contests escalated to
striking, how many strikes each contest included, how many strikes were
not on the telson, and the first behaviour of each
contest.Green&Patek_SuppData_ContestBehavioursStriking.csvContests
datasetData on each contestant, including: sex, residency status
(resident/intruder), winner status (winner/loser), body length, body mass,
maximum strike force, and number of strikes delivered during the
contest.Green&Patek_SuppData_Contests.csvMorphology &
force datasetData for each individual used in morphology and force
correlations, including: sex, body length, body mass, carapace length,
merus length, saddle length, dactyl heel width, and maximum strike
force.Green&Patek_SuppData_MorphForce.csvSupplementary video
1Video showing contest
behavioursGreen&Patek_SuppVideo1_HQ.mp4Supplementary video 2Video
showing contest behavioursGreen&Patek_SuppVideo2_HQ.mp4
Panama