Abstract:
Fatty acid compositions of fiddler crabs, Vea annulipes collected on a tropica
intertidal flat at two sampling station in Setiu Wetland, Terengganu, were analysed as
well as the surrounding surface sediments of their burrows, their food pellets and their
feces. Vea annulipes tissue in Station A (Pengkalan Gelap) exhibited a higher
concentration of fatty acids than Uca annulipes in Station B (Pengkalan Che Hamid).
Food pellets revealed a higher contribution of saturated fatty acids and lower amount of
polyunsaturated fatty acids and branched fatty acids than in the surface sediments
samples. These differences of fatty acids compositions suggest an initial selection of food
before the particles sorting in the buccal region. Vea annulipes feces also contains high
amount of fatty acids, indicate that Vea annu/ipes play significant role in the fate of these
lipids in intertidal flats. Comparative analysis of the fatty acids compositions of the
different samples indicates that these fiddler crabs actively sorted bacteria in order to
ingest them.
