Shih, H.-T., 2000. The wetland violinist - the fiddler crabs, pp. 70-75. In Lai, Y.-M. (ed.), "Vanishing Dancers". Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Republic of China, Taipei.

The Wetland Violinist

The Fiddler Crabs

　

Hsi-Te Shih

Fiddler crabs, with a pincer making up two-thirds the size of its body, are a focal point in the wetlands. Its red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, white, grey and black body colors are endlessly fascinating to the eye. Taiwan has ten species of fiddler crabs. accounting for one-eighth of all the species in the world. And Uca formosensis is a rare endemic species in Taiwan. Since their discovery in 1921, we still have not managed to learn much about their habits. However, this has been no hindrance to their happy lives, peacefully raising their families near the sea. But, in recent decades, their habitat has been greatly reduced due to the continual development of Taiwanese coastal areas and the invasion of other fiddler crab species. With only a few remaining populations, they are quickly becoming nothing more than a memory of history. Is this a sign of the flavor of Nature's revenge'? In considering economic profit, protection of the diversity of wetlands, the trend toward planting mangroves, and the protection of endemic species, how can we keep the "ga-der-gien" (Taiwanese dialect for the fiddler crab) from being sacrificed on the altar of economics and industrial development is a question worthy of our consideration.