Using external morphology as a proxy for stomach size in Hemigrapsus sanguineus.

Stomach morphology can provide insights into an organism's diet. Gut size or length is typically inversely related to diet quality in most taxa, and has been used to assess diet quality in a variety of systems. However, it requires animal sacrifice and time-consuming dissections. Measures of external morphology associated with diet may be a simpler, more cost-effective solution. At the species level, external measures of the progastric region of the carapace in brachyuran crabs can predict stomach size and diet quality, with some suggestion that this approach may also work to examine individual diet preferences and specialization at the individual level; if so, the size of the progastric region could be used to predict trends in diet quality and consumption for individuals, which would streamline diet studies in crabs. Here, we tested whether external progastric region size predicts internal stomach size across latitude and time of year for individuals of the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus. We found that the width of the progastric region increased at a faster rate with body size than stomach width. In addition, the width of the progastric region followed different trends across sites and over time compared to stomach width. Our results therefore suggest that the progastric region may not be used as a proxy for stomach size variation across individuals.

Shift from income breeding to capital breeding with latitude in the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus.

Organisms vary in the timing of energy acquisition and use for reproduction. Thus, breeding strategies exist on a continuum, from capital breeding to income breeding. Capital breeders acquire and store energy for breeding before the start of the reproductive season, while income breeders finance reproduction using energy acquired during the reproductive season. Latitude and its associated environmental drivers are expected to heavily influence breeding strategy, potentially leading to latitudinal variation in breeding strategies within a single species. We examined the breeding strategy of the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus at five sites spanning nearly 10° of latitude across its invaded United States range. We hypothesized that the primary breeding strategy of this species would shift from income breeding to capital breeding as latitude increases. We found that though this species' breeding strategy is dominated by capital breeding throughout much of the range, income breeding increases in importance at lower latitudes. This latitudinal pattern is likely heavily influenced by the duration of the foraging and breeding seasons, which also vary with latitude. We also found that reproductive characteristics at the northern and southern edges of the invaded range were consistent with continued range expansion. We suggest that the reproductive flexibility of the Asian shore crab is a key facilitator of its continued invasion success. Our results highlight the influence of latitude on the breeding strategy of a species and emphasize the need for further research regarding the ecological importance and implications of flexibility in breeding strategies within species.

Time to treatment patterns of head and neck cancer patients before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The delivery of healthcare has changed significantly over the past decades. This study analyzes the clinicodemographic factors and treatment patterns of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients between 2004 and 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of HNSCC patients from the National Cancer Data Base from 2004 to 2020. RESULTS: A total of 164,290 patients were included. Increased times from diagnosis to definitive surgery (TTS) were seen across all facility types (academic centers, AC; non-academic centers, NAC) between 2004 and 2019, with NAC affected more. TTS < 15 days (RR = 1.05, 95%CI:1.05-1.09) and > 75 days (1.07, 95%CI:1.05-1.09) were associated with increased mortality risk. This association was more prominent among HPV + HNSCC (RR = 1.45; 95%CI:1.18-1.78). Treatment in AC was associated with a decreased mortality risk (RR = 0.94, 95%CI:0.93-0.95). Despite the universal increase in wait times from 2004 to 2019, short-term mortality was significantly decreased from 2016 to 2019, relative to 2004-2007 (3-month mortality: RR = 0.77, 95%CI:0.70-0.85; 12-month mortality: RR = 0.80, 95%CI:0.77-0.84). Wait times decreased in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: TTS increased between 2004 and 2019, with NAC affected more. However, despite longer wait times, short-term survival increased significantly. Very short (<15 days) and very long (>75 days) TTS were associated with increased mortality risk. Patients with HPV + HNSCC have the highest increase among those treated > 75 days from diagnosis. Treatment at AC was associated with improved survival, which could be explained by the presence of multidisciplinary teams and subspecialists that may be less available at NAC. The 2021 NCDB data are required for a comprehensive analysis of wait times in 2020.

Past energy allocation overwhelms current energy stresses in determining energy allocation trade-offs.

Regeneration of lost appendages is a gradual process in many species, spreading energetic costs of regeneration through time. Energy allocated to the regeneration of lost appendages cannot be used for other purposes and, therefore, commonly elicits energetic trade-offs in biological processes. We used limb loss in the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus to compare the strength of energetic trade-offs resulting from historic limb losses that have been partially regenerated versus current injuries that have not yet been repaired. Consistent with previous studies, we show that limb loss and regeneration results in trade-offs that reduce reproduction, energy storage, and growth. As may be expected, we show that trade-offs in these metrics from historic limb losses far outweigh trade-offs from current limb losses, and correlate directly with the degree of historic limb loss that has been regenerated. As regenerating limbs get closer to their normal size, these historical injuries get harder to detect, despite the continued allocation of additional resources to limb development. Our results demonstrate the importance of and a method for identifying historic appendage losses and of quantifying the amount of regeneration that has already occurred, as opposed to assessing only current injury, to accurately assess the strength of energetic trade-offs in animals recovering from nonlethal injury.

Novel prosthetic ligament repair of a shoulder luxation in a cat using a bone anchor and ligament prosthesis.

Case summary: A 7-year-old male castrated Ragdoll cat was presented for chronic shoulder instability after a previous medial luxation of the right shoulder. Upon examination, there was palpable instability of the glenohumeral joint and an increased abduction angle. Surgical stabilisation was elected due to lameness and instability after closed reduction, rest and medical management. A low-profile bone-anchor and a ligament prosthesis were used to stabilise the glenohumeral joint with minimal disruption to the cat's natural shoulder stabilisers. Clinical signs resolved after surgery and the cat remained non-symptomatic at the 12-month follow-up. Relevance and novel information: Feline shoulder luxation is rarely described in the veterinary literature. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report describing stabilisation of the glenohumeral joint in a cat using a bone anchor and a ligament prosthesis.

Differences in growth within and across the reproductive forms of northern crayfish (Faxonius virilis).

Complex life histories are frequently associated with biological trade-offs, as the use of one trait can decrease the performance of a second trait due to the need to balance competing demands to maximize fitness. Here, we examine growth patterns in invasive adult male northern crayfish (Faxonius virilis) that are indicative of a potential trade-off between energy allocation for body size versus chelae size growth. Northern crayfish undergo cyclic dimorphism, a process characterized by seasonal morphological changes associated with reproductive status. We measured carapace length and chelae length before and after molting and compared these growth increments between the four morphological transitions of the northern crayfish. Consistent with our predictions, reproductive crayfish molting to the non-reproductive form and non-reproductive crayfish molting within the non-reproductive form experienced a larger carapace length growth increment. Reproductive crayfish molting within the reproductive form and non-reproductive crayfish molting to the reproductive form, on the other hand, experienced a larger growth increment in chelae length. The results of this study support that cyclic dimorphism evolved as a strategy for optimizing energy allocation for body and chelae size growth during discrete periods of reproduction in crayfish with complex life histories.

Predicting diet in brachyuran crabs using external morphology.

Morphological traits have often been used to predict diet and trophic position of species across many animal groups. Variation in gut size of closely related animals is known to be a good predictor of dietary habits. Species that are more herbivorous or that persist on low-quality diets often have larger stomachs than their carnivorous counterparts. This same pattern exists in crabs and in most species, individuals exhibit external markings on the dorsal side of their carapace that appear to align with the position and size of their gut. We hypothesized that these external markings could be used as an accurate estimate of the crab's cardiac stomach size, allowing an approximation of crab dietary strategies without the need to sacrifice and dissect individual animals. We used literature values for mean diet and standardized external gut size markings taken from crab photographs across 50 species to show that percent herbivory in the diet increases non-linearly across species of brachyuran crab with the external estimate of gut size. We also used data from dissections in four species to show that external gut markings were positively correlated with gut sizes, though the strength of this correlation differed across species. We conclude that when rough approximations of diet quality such as percent herbivory will suffice, measuring external carapace markings in crabs presents a quick, free, non-lethal alternative to dissections. Our results also provide important insights into tradeoffs that occur in crab morphology and have implications for crab evolution.

Sociodemographic Differences in Patient-Reported Pain and Pain Management of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer in a Community Oncology Setting.

PURPOSE: While pain is prevalent among survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC), there is a lack of data on pain management in the community oncology setting. We described sociodemographic correlates and disparities associated with patient-reported pain among patients with HNC. METHODS: We used the 2017-2021 nationwide community oncology data set from Navigating Cancer, which included electronic patient-reported outcomes. We identified a retrospective cohort of patients diagnosed with HNC (N = 25,572), with ≥ 1 patient-reported pain event. We adjusted for demographic (sex, age, smoking history, marital status) and clinical (cancer site) factors associated with pain reporting and pain resolution by new pain prescription on the basis of race (White v non-White patients), using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Our analytic cohort included 2,331 patients, 90.58% White, 58.62% married, with an average age of 66.47 years. Of these, 857 patients (36.76%) reported ≥ 1 pain event during study period. Mean resolution time (in minutes) for pain incidents was significantly longer for White patients than non-White patients (99.6 ± 3.2 v 74.9 ± 7.2, P < .05). After adjusting for covariates, smoking was associated with a 25% increased odds of reporting pain incidents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.25; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.52). There was no statistically significant difference in odds of pain reporting between White versus non-White patients (aOR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.30). However, White patients were significantly more likely to receive new prescription for pain than non-White patients (aOR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.09 to 5.86). CONCLUSION: We found racial differences in patient-reported pain management, with White patients significantly more likely to receive new pain prescriptions. As pain management is a mainstay in cancer care, equity in pain management is critical to optimize quality of life for patients with HNC.

Contaminants in fish from U.S. rivers: Probability-based national assessments.

Most fish consumption advisories in the United States (U.S.) are issued for mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and recently per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become a contaminant group that warrants fish consumption advice. An unequal probability survey design was developed to allow a comprehensive characterization of mercury, PCB, and PFAS contamination in fish from U.S. rivers on a national scale. During 2013-14 and 2018-19, fish fillet samples were collected from 353 and 290 river sites, respectively, selected randomly from the target population of rivers (≥5th order in size) in the conterminous U.S. These comprised nationally representative samples, with results extrapolated to chemical-specific sampled populations of 48,826-79,448 river kilometers (km) in 2013-14 and 66,142 river km in 2018-19. National distribution estimates were developed for total mercury, all 209 PCB congeners, and up to 33 PFAS (including perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS) in river fish. All fillet tissue samples contained detectable levels of mercury and PCBs. One or more PFAS were detected in 99.7 % and 95.2 % of the fillet samples from fish collected in 2013-14 and 2018-19, respectively. Fish tissue screening levels applied to national contaminant probability distributions allowed an estimation of the percentage of the sampled population of river lengths that contained fish with fillet concentrations above a level protective of human health. Fish tissue screening level exceedances for an average level of fish consumption ranged from 23.5 % to 26.0 % for mercury, 17.3 % to 51.6 % for PCBs, and 0.7 % to 9.1 % for PFOS.

Nasal Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Factors Associated With Treatment Outcomes and Potential Organ Preservation.

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity (NCSCC) is a rare, challenging malignancy. Surgical resection of this tumor can cause significant facial deformity, and indications for adjuvant or organ preservation therapies are not well-described. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of treatment regimen on survival outcomes in NCSCC and to compare surgical to non-surgical based therapies. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried for NCSCC from 2004 to 2014. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment regimen were compared for the entire cohort. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was performed for statistical analysis of treatment regimen and surgical margins on overall survival (OS) for early and late-stage disease. RESULTS: A total of 1883 NCSCC patients were identified. The OS for the cohort was 83 months, and median age at diagnosis was 65 years. NCSCC patients who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) had a better OS compared to definitive RT (HR: 0.58, P < .001). In early stage NCSCC (T1/T2, N0), there was no significant difference in OS between patients treated with surgery only or surgery with adjuvant RT compared to definitive RT. In advanced stage NCSCC, surgery with adjuvant RT had a better OS compared to definitive chemoradiation. Having positive margins was shown to predict a worse OS when compared to negative margins in surgical patients despite adjuvant RT or chemoradiation. CONCLUSIONS: NCSCC appears to be best treated with surgery followed by adjuvant RT in advanced-stage disease whereas in early-stage disease, surgery does not improve OS compared to definitive RT.

Latitudinal and temporal variation in injury and its impacts in the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus.

Nonlethal injury is a pervasive stress on individual animals that can affect large portions of a population at any given time. Yet most studies examine snapshots of injury at a single place and time, making the implicit assumption that the impacts of nonlethal injury are constant. We sampled Asian shore crabs Hemigrapsus sanguineus throughout their invasive North American range and from the spring through fall of 2020. We then documented the prevalence of limb loss over this space and time. We further examined the impacts of limb loss and limb regeneration on food consumption, growth, reproduction, and energy storage. We show that injury differed substantially across sites and was most common towards the southern part of their invaded range on the East Coast of North America. Injury also varied idiosyncratically across sites and through time. It also had strong impacts on individuals via reduced growth and reproduction, despite increased food consumption in injured crabs. Given the high prevalence of nonlethal injury in this species, these negative impacts of injury on individual animals likely scale up to influence population level processes (e.g., population growth), and may be one factor acting against the widespread success of this invader.

Metabolic rates of the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus in air as a function of body size, location, and injury.

Rapid warming in the Gulf of Maine may influence the success or invasiveness of the Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus. To better predict the effects of climate change on this invasive species, it is necessary to measure its energy dynamics under a range of conditions. However, previous research has only focused on the metabolism of this intertidal species in water. We sampled adult crabs from three different sites and measured their metabolic rates in the air. We show that metabolic rate increases with body mass and the number of missing limbs, but decreases with the number of regenerating limbs, possibly reflecting the timing of energy allocation to limb regeneration. Importantly, metabolic rates measured here in the air are ~4× higher than metabolic rates previously measured for this species in water. Our results provide baseline measurements of aerial metabolic rates across body sizes, which may be affected by climate change. With a better understanding of respiration in H. sanguineus, we can make more informed predictions about the combined effects of climate change and invasive species on the northeast coasts of North America.

Morphometric correlations between dietary and reproductive traits of two brachyuran crabs, Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Aratus pisonii.

Many animals have flexible morphological traits that allow them to succeed in differing circumstances with differing diets available to them. For brachyuran crabs, claw height and gut size are diet-specific and largely reflect foraging strategies, while abdomen width reflects relative levels of fecundity. However, the link between claw size and diet has largely been documented only for primarily carnivorous crabs, while the link between diet and fecundity is strong in herbivorous crabs. We sought to determine the nature of the intraspecific relationship between claw size, dietary habits, and fecundity for two primarily herbivorous crab species, Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Aratus pisonii. Specifically, we examined whether claw size and/or abdomen width can be used as reliable measures of individual diet strategy. To test these hypotheses, we collected crabs and measured the dimensions of their claws, abdomens, and guts. By comparing these dimensions for each individual, we found that strongly predictive relationships do not exist between these traits for the primarily herbivorous species in our study. Thus, identifying external morphological features that can be used to assess diets of primarily herbivorous crabs remains elusive.

Polymorphism promotes edge utilization by marsh crabs.

Understanding how habitat edges affect ecological processes is crucial given widespread and increasing modifications to natural landscapes. Resource specialization is a key factor affecting among-species edge responses, but we know little about how intraspecific resource use variation mediates edge utilization. Here, we integrate stomach content analysis, geometric morphometrics and feeding experiments to explore the role of resource polymorphism in mediating marsh crab (Panopeus obesus) foraging within the marsh-oyster reef boundary. Stomachs of edge individuals contained a greater proportion of morphologically defended edge prey (bivalves) compared to core marsh individuals, and edge individuals possessed relatively tall and robust claw morphology for manipulating such prey. We further show experimentally that phenotypic changes of edge P. obesus are associated with enhanced feeding efficiency on small, but not large edge prey. Morphological and ecological traits of edge P. obesus overlapped with the edge-occurring congener, P. herbstii, suggesting some degree of functional convergence despite the potential for interspecific competition within edges. Though this polymorphism is likely plastic, the success of P. obesus along edges could subsidize predator production within marshes and alter top-down pressure across mosaic estuarine landscapes. More generally, our study reveals polymorphism as a driver of edge utilization, while yielding new insight into the processes that maintain or erode spatial niche differentiation within predator guilds.

Vein Graft Tympanoplasty: How a Transiently Used Graft Material Transformed Middle Ear Surgery.

The inception of medial grafting as a technique for tympanic membrane repair was a critical milestone in the history of otology. John Shea introduced the medial graft technique and the use of vein grafts for tympanoplasty in 1960 after realizing that the vein grafts that he used to repair the oval window after stapedectomy could also be utilized to repair tympanic membrane perforations. At the time, tympanoplasty often utilized skin grafts, which required placement of the graft lateral to the tympanic membrane annulus. Placement of the graft medial to the tympanic membrane annulus allowed for more efficient surgery and avoided the complications associated with lateral grafting, such as blunting and lateralization. The introduction of vein grafts in tympanoplasty prompted a fundamental shift in technique from lateral to medial grafting, paving the way for decades of innovation in tympanoplasty.

Are Throat Pain and Otalgia Predictive of Perineural Invasion in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx?

PURPOSE: Head and neck cancer is often associated with pain and perineural invasion (PNI). The purpose of this study was to determine the association of pain complaints and the microscopic identification of PNI in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed including patients diagnosed with OPSCC from 2010 to 2019. Patients diagnosed and operated on with curative intent at 2 institutions were included. The primary predictor variable was pain (measured as no pain, ear pain, throat pain, or simultaneous pain). Other variables were patient demographics, p16 status, and TNM staging. The primary outcome variable was the histologic presence of PNI. Chi-square analysis was performed to test for any significant associations between pain, T stage, overall stage, and p16 status in relation to PNI outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to control for cancer staging variables when testing the association between pain and PNI. RESULTS: The final sample was composed of 157 subjects of whom 126 were men. The mean age was 59.7 years. Seventy-seven (49.0%) presented with no pain, while 35 (22.3%), 39 (24.8%), and 6 (3.8%) presented with both throat/ear pain, throat pain only, and ear pain only, respectively. Patients with simultaneous pain had 3.41 times higher odds of PNI compared to the no pain group (P = .02), although only pathologic T stage 4 and a diagnosis on the base of the tongue were independent postoperative predictors of PNI (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that otalgia is a preoperative predictor of PNI in OPSCC and also demonstrates a trend of increasing pain complaints with PNI.

Metabolic rates in the squareback marsh crab Armases cinereum.

Metabolic rate is a basic individual metric that extends beyond the individual to link the ecology of populations, communities, and ecosystems via its role as a central component of energy budgets. Metabolic rates are often measured indirectly by quantifying respiration under simplified, standard laboratory conditions. This approach limits the application of these measurements to a small range of conditions that commonly do not reflect natural field conditions. We measured metabolic rates of the squareback marsh crab Armases cinereum under field conditions. Previous work highlights that movement of individual A. cinereum, especially females, provides a potential spatial subsidy of energy, as individuals consume foods in salt marshes and then transfer the resulting energy to upland forest ecosystems. We show that metabolic rate increases with size for both males and females and that metabolic rates are influenced by temperature and by whether females are vitellogenic. The metabolic rates that we measured more closely approximate field metabolic rates than standard metabolic rates and demonstrate that individual crabs experience high energy expenditures, reducing the amount of energy that may be transferred as a subsidy between marsh and forest as a result of the daily movements of individual crabs. Our measurements are therefore also a key component for the construction of an energy budget for this species.

Nonsurgical Risk Factors Associated With Pharyngocutaneous Fistula in Patients Who Have Undergone Laryngectomy.

Importance: Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) is a serious complication after total laryngectomy. Despite the well-described clinical risk factors for PCF and its association with poor quality of life, there is a paucity of data on the nonclinical factors that may be associated with this complication. Objective: To determine whether nonclinical risk factors (eg, age, sex, race and ethnicity) are associated with an increased risk of developing a PCF after total laryngectomy, and whether or not the method of reconstruction explains any differences found. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective multicenter cohort study used data from a nationally validated, risk-adjusted, outcomes-based, surgical quality improvement database (the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) to examine outcomes in patients who underwent a total laryngectomy from 2005 to 2018. The database was queried from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2018; data analyses were performed from September 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was development of a PCF within 30 days of a total laryngectomy. Patient characteristics, including age, sex, race and ethnicity, comorbidities, and mode of reconstruction, were analyzed. Results: A cohort of 1573 adult patients (median age [IQR], 63 [56-71] years; 1280 [81.4%] men; 293 [18.6%] women; 1001 [63.6%] non-Hispanic White individuals) had undergone a total laryngectomy during the study period and were included in the analyses. The overall rate of PCF formation was 4.3% (68 of 1573 patients). Hispanic patients had the highest rate (9.5%; 9 of 95 patients) of PCF formation, which was more than twice the rate among non-Hispanic White patients (3.8%; 38 of 1001) and non-Hispanic Black patients (4.7%; 11 of 236). After adjusting for clinical and other covariates, women were 1.9 times more likely to develop a PCF compared with men (adjusted odds ratio, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.08-3.35). We also found that the odds of developing a PCF were 3-fold higher among Hispanic patients compared with non-Hispanic White patients (adjusted odds ratio, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.36-6.47). The type of reconstruction did not differ across age or race and ethnicity after controlling for clinical risk factors. Conclusions and Relevance: This multicenter cohort study found that 2 nonclinical risk factors-Hispanic ethnicity and female sex-were associated with an increased risk of PCF formation. Knowledge of these risk factors should be included in patient-physician decision-making as well as future interventions to decrease the rate of PCF formation after laryngectomy.

An Evaluation of Fish Tissue Monitoring Alternatives for Mercury and Selenium: Fish Muscle Biopsy Samples Versus Homogenized Whole Fillets.

Fish contaminant studies with human health protection objectives typically focus on muscle tissue, recognizing that fillets are the commonly consumed tissue fraction. Muscle biopsy punch sampling for mercury analysis has recently been used as an alternative to harvesting fish for fillets; however, there is limited information comparing fillet plug results to whole fillet results. This study was conducted to address that data gap and to test the applicability of plugs for monitoring associated with United States Environmental Protection Agency's fish tissue-based mercury and selenium water quality criteria. The mercury phase included 300 fillet homogenates and 300 field-extracted plug samples from 60 fish, and the selenium phase included 120 fillet homogenates and 120 plugs from 30 fish. Both phases showed that there were no statistically significant differences between fillet plug and homogenized fillet results at the community level; however, a selenium plug monitoring alternative must employ a sufficiently sensitive analytical method and consider total solids. Plug and fillet sampling alternatives have inherent advantages and disadvantages. Fillet sampling provides sufficient mass to consider multiple contaminants but requires fish to be harvested. Plug sampling only provides adequate mass for a single analyte but may allow fish survival, although additional research is needed on survival following plug removal.

Evidence for use of both capital and income breeding strategies in the mangrove tree crab, Aratus pisonii.

Two common strategies organisms use to finance reproduction are capital breeding (using energy stored prior to reproduction) and income breeding (using energy gathered during the reproductive period). Understanding which of these two strategies a species uses can help in predicting its population dynamics and how it will respond to environmental change. Brachyuran crabs have historically been considered capital breeders as a group, but recent evidence has challenged this assumption. Here, we focus on the mangrove tree crab, Aratus pisonii, and examine its breeding strategy on the Atlantic Florida coast. We collected crabs during and after their breeding season (March-October) and dissected them to discern how energy was stored and utilized for reproduction. We found patterns of reproduction and energy storage that are consistent with both the use of stored energy (capital) and energy acquired (income) during the breeding season. We also found that energy acquisition and storage patterns that supported reproduction were influenced by unequal tidal patterns associated with the syzygy tide inequality cycle. Contrary to previous assumptions for crabs, we suggest that species of crab that produce multiple clutches of eggs during long breeding seasons (many tropical and subtropical species) may commonly use income breeding strategies.