Visual shape discrimination in the fiddler crab,Uca pugilator

1. Research into the visual shape discrimination abilities of compound‐eyed animals has almost exclusively been limited to insects, the crustaceans having been virtually ignored. The two groups have many dissimilarities, having primarily adapted in different habitats to different lifestyles. Differences may exist in visual systems and visually mediated behavior.

2. Fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator), without training, differentially approached dissimilar silhouettes presented simultaneously, demonstrating visual discrimination between stationary, geometric shapes of equal‐area. The strength of response was ordered hierarchically: vertical rectangle, horizontal rectangle, triangle, square, circle.

3. Basic geometric shapes were used to facilitate replication and comparison with research findings from other species.