Fiddler Crab Phylogenetics
Most of this information comes from:
Rosenberg, M. S. 2001. The systematics and taxonomy of fiddler crabs: A phylogeny of the genus Uca. Journal of Crustacean Biology 21(3):839-869.
The sister genus to the genus Uca is Ocypode, the ghost crabs. The phylogeny of the Uca subgenera is most likely as follows:
=================Minuca
|
====================Leptuca
| |
| =================Paraleptuca
===|
| | =================Australuca
| ===|
===| =================Tubuca
| |
===| =======================Gelasimus
|
==========================Uca
There is molecular evidence which suggests that the Indo-West Pacific species are monophyletic. If so, the phylogeny of the subgenera would most likely be,
====================Minuca
===|
| ====================Leptuca
===|
| | |===================Austruca
| | |
| ===| =================Paraleptuca
| | |
| ===| ===========Australuca
| | ===|
| ===| ===========Tubuca
| |
===| ==============Gelasimus
|
==========================Uca
where the Austruca consist of the Indo-West Pacific Leptuca. Regardless of which of the above is correct (if either), the Leptuca are almost certainly paraphyletic and quite possibly polyphyletic.
See Rosenberg (2001) for more details, including the species relationships.