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) |