Ethnographic evidence for the presence of the coconut crab Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) (Anomura, Coenobitidae) on Flores Island, Indonesia
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Abstract
Although occurring elsewhere in Indonesia, the coconut crab — the only member of the genus Birgus — has yet to be documented on the island of Flores or adjacent islands in the Lesser Sundas. In the Lio region of Flores, however, people in the district of Mego describe a very large entirely terrestrial crab occasionally encountered between 2 and 7 km from Flores’ south coast and sometimes even further inland. Ethnographic evidence is presented showing how this crab, locally called ‘kepi’, generally corresponds to the coconut crab in regard to morphology, habitat, and behaviour. Because local people prohibit the killing and consumption of kepi, other factors possibly accounting for the reputed rarity of large land crabs possibly corresponding to Birgus are also discussed, and the case is further used to comment on the value of local knowledge for international zoology.
Résumé
Bien que présent ailleurs en Indonésie, le crabe des cocotiers — le seul membre du genre Birgus — nécessite encore d’être documenté sur l’île de Flores ou les îles voisines dans les petites îles de la Sonde. Dans le pays Lio de l’île de Flores, cependant, des habitants du district de Mego décrivent un très grand crabe terrestre rencontré occasionnellement à l’intérieur de l’ïle, entre 2 et 7 km de la côte Sud et quelquefois même plus. L’évidence ethnographique est présentée en montrant comment ce crabe, appelé localement ‘kepi’, correspond généralement au crabe des cocotiers en considérant sa morphologie, son habitat, et son comportement. Etant donné que les populations locales interdisent de tuer et de consommer le kepi, d’autres facteurs possibles expliquant la rareté reconnue des grands crabes terrestres correspondant peut-être à Birgus sont aussi discutés ; ce cas est aussi utilisé pour commenter la valeur du savoir local pour la zoologie internationale.
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Ethnographic evidence for the presence of the coconut crab Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) (Anomura, Coenobitidae) on Flores Island, Indonesia
In: CrustaceanaSearch for other papers by Gregory Forth in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Although occurring elsewhere in Indonesia, the coconut crab — the only member of the genus Birgus — has yet to be documented on the island of Flores or adjacent islands in the Lesser Sundas. In the Lio region of Flores, however, people in the district of Mego describe a very large entirely terrestrial crab occasionally encountered between 2 and 7 km from Flores’ south coast and sometimes even further inland. Ethnographic evidence is presented showing how this crab, locally called ‘kepi’, generally corresponds to the coconut crab in regard to morphology, habitat, and behaviour. Because local people prohibit the killing and consumption of kepi, other factors possibly accounting for the reputed rarity of large land crabs possibly corresponding to Birgus are also discussed, and the case is further used to comment on the value of local knowledge for international zoology.
Résumé
Bien que présent ailleurs en Indonésie, le crabe des cocotiers — le seul membre du genre Birgus — nécessite encore d’être documenté sur l’île de Flores ou les îles voisines dans les petites îles de la Sonde. Dans le pays Lio de l’île de Flores, cependant, des habitants du district de Mego décrivent un très grand crabe terrestre rencontré occasionnellement à l’intérieur de l’ïle, entre 2 et 7 km de la côte Sud et quelquefois même plus. L’évidence ethnographique est présentée en montrant comment ce crabe, appelé localement ‘kepi’, correspond généralement au crabe des cocotiers en considérant sa morphologie, son habitat, et son comportement. Etant donné que les populations locales interdisent de tuer et de consommer le kepi, d’autres facteurs possibles expliquant la rareté reconnue des grands crabes terrestres correspondant peut-être à Birgus sont aussi discutés ; ce cas est aussi utilisé pour commenter la valeur du savoir local pour la zoologie internationale.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1373 | 237 | 12 |
| Full Text Views | 32 | 1 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 39 | 4 | 0 |
