Breeding period of the spider crab Mithraculus forceps (A. Milne Edwards) (Crustacea, Majidae, Mithracinae)in the southeastern Brazilian coast

Cobo, Valter José

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752002000500017

Abstract

Investigations concerning to the breeding period of brachyuran crabs provide fundamental information to determine their reproductive cycle, and also to establish management plans for species mainly in protected areas. This study provides data on the breeding period of M.forceps (A. Milne Edwards, 1875) in the southeastern Brazilian coast. Monthly samplings were carried out during a one year-round. A catch effort of approximately four hours was allocated to each monthly survey. The breeding intensity was determined based on the percentage of ovigerous crabs within the whole adult female population. A total of 137 adult females was obtained, from which 80.3% presented eggs attached on their pleopods. Ovigerous females were observed yearround, usually comprising more than 60% of sampled adult females. The ovigerous frequency was not statistically correlated to the environmental analyzed factors.

Majidae; Mithraculus; breedingperiod; Ubatuba

Breeding period of the spider crab Mithraculus forceps (A. Milne Edwards) (Crustacea, Majidae, Mithracinae)in the southeastern Brazilian coast

Valter José Cobo

Laboratório de Zoologia, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Taubaté. Praça Marcelino Monteiro 63,12030-010 Taubaté, São Paulo, Brasil. E-mail: vjcobo@uol.com.br

ABSTRACT

Investigations concerning to the breeding period of brachyuran crabs provide fundamental information to determine their reproductive cycle, and also to establish management plans for species mainly in protected areas. This study provides data on the breeding period of M.forceps (A. Milne Edwards, 1875) in the southeastern Brazilian coast. Monthly samplings were carried out during a one year-round. A catch effort of approximately four hours was allocated to each monthly survey. The breeding intensity was determined based on the percentage of ovigerous crabs within the whole adult female population. A total of 137 adult females was obtained, from which 80.3% presented eggs attached on their pleopods. Ovigerous females were observed yearround, usually comprising more than 60% of sampled adult females. The ovigerous frequency was not statistically correlated to the environmental analyzed factors.

Key Words: Majidae, Mithraculus, breedingperiod, Ubatuba

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I wish to express my gratitude to the Universidade de Taubaté - UNITAU, for the financiai support (Process # 251/2001- PRPPG) and OMNI-MARE Dive Center, for the logistical support. I am especially indebted to Dra. Maria Lucia Negreiros-Fransozo for her appreciated comments, Dr. Augusto A.V. Flores, for his help with the English version and to Dr. Itamar Alves Martins for his skilled assistance during lhe dive sessions.

Received in 07.XII.2001; accepted in 27.VI.2002.

CHOY, S.C. 1988. Reproductive biology of Liocarcinus puber and L. holsatus (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae) from the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. Mar. Ecol. 9 (3): 227-241.
CONAN, G.Y. & M. COMEAU. 1986. Functional maturity and terminal molt of male snow crab Chionoecetes opilio. Can. Jour. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43: 1710-1719.
CONDE, J.E. & H. DÍAZ. 1989. The mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii in a tropical estuarine lagoon. Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 28: 639-650.
DIESEL, R. 1986. 0ptimal mate searching strategy in the symbiotic spider crab Inachus phalangium (Decapoda). Ethology 72: 311-328
DITIEL, A.I. & C.E. EPIFANIO. 1984. Growth and development of the portunid crab Callinectes arcuatus Ordway: zoeae, megalopae, and juveniles. Jour. Crustacean Biol. 4 (3): 491-494.
ELNER, R.W. & P.G. BENINGER. 1992. The reproductive Biology of snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio: A synthesis of recent contributions. Amer. Zool. 32: 524-533.
FRANSOZO, A. & N.J. HEBLING. 1982. Desenvolvimento pós embrionário de Mithrax hispidus (Herbst, 1790) (Decapoda, Majidae) em laboratório. Ci. Culto 34 (3): 385-395.
FRANSOZO, A. & M.L. NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO. 1997. Larval stages of Pyromaia tuberculata (Lockington, 1877) (Decapoda, Majidae, lnachidae) reared in the laboratory. Crustaceana 70 (3): 304-323.
FUROTA, T. 1996. Life cycle studies on lhe introduced spider crab Pyromaia tuberculata (Lockington) (Brachyura, Majidae).II Crab stage and reproduction. Jour. Crustacean Biol. 16: 77-91.
HAEFNER JR., P.A. 1978. Seasonal aspects of the biology, distribution and relative abundance of the deep-sea red crab Geryon quinquidens Smith, in the vicinity of lhe Norfolk Canyon, weslern north Atlantic. Proc. Nat. Shell. Ass. 68: 49-62.
HIYODO, C.M.; A. FRANSOZO & M.L. NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO. 1994. Larval development of the spider crab Acanthonix petiverii H. Milne Edwards, 1834 (Decapoda, Majidae) in the laboratory. Crustaceana 66 (1): 53-66.
KENNELLY, S.J. & D. WATKINS. 1994. Fecundity and reproductive period, and their relationship to cacth rates of spanner crabs, Ranina ranina, off lhe easl coast of Auslralia. Jour. Crustacean Biol. 14 (1): 146-150.
MELO, G.A.S. 1996. Manual de Identificação dos Brachyura (Caranguejos e Siris) do Litoral Brasileiro. Plêaide, São Paulo, 604p.
NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO, M.L. & A. FRANSOZO. 1991. Larval stages of Epialtus brasiliensis Dana, 1982 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Majidae) reared in lhe laboratory, with notes on lhe characteres of the Majid subfamilies. Crustaceana 60 (2): 199-212.
PAUL, A.J. 1984. Mating frequency and viability of stored sperm in the tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi (Decapoda, Majidae). Jour. Crustacean Biol. 4 (3): 375-381.
PROVENZANO JR., AJ. & W.N. BROWNELL. 1977. Larval and early post-larval stages of the West Indian spider crab, Mithrax spinosissimsus (Lamarck) (Decapoda: Majidae). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 90 (3): 735-752.
RABALAIS, N.N. 1991. Egg production in crabs with abbrevialed development. In: A. WENNER & A. KURIS (Eds). Crustacean egg production. Rotterdam, A.A.Balkema, 401p.
SASTRY, A.N. 1983. Ecological aspects of reproduction. In: F.J. VERNBERG & W.B. VERNBERG (Eds). The Biology of Crustacea. Environrnental adaptations. New York, Academic Press, Vol. 8, 383p.
STEARNS. S.C. 1977. The evolution of the life-history traits: A critique of the theory and a review of the data. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 8: 145-171.
WILLlAMS, A.B. 1984. Shrimps, Lobsters and Crabs of the Atlantic Coast of the Eastern United States, Maine to Florida. Washington, DC, Srnithsonian Institution Press, 550p.
YAU, P.M. 1992. Breeding and seasonal population changes of Gaetice depressus (Decapoda: Grapsidae) on the Hong Kong shores. Asian Mar. Biol. 9: 181-192.
ZAR, J.H. 1999. Bioestatistical Analysis. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 4^th ed., 930p.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
03 June 2009
Date of issue
July 2002

History

Accepted
27 June 2002
Received
07 Dec 2001

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] CHOY, S.C. 1988. Reproductive biology of Liocarcinus puber and L. holsatus (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae) from the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. Mar. Ecol. 9 (3): 227-241.

[2] CONAN, G.Y. & M. COMEAU. 1986. Functional maturity and terminal molt of male snow crab Chionoecetes opilio. Can. Jour. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43: 1710-1719.

[3] CONDE, J.E. & H. DÍAZ. 1989. The mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii in a tropical estuarine lagoon. Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 28: 639-650.

[4] DIESEL, R. 1986. 0ptimal mate searching strategy in the symbiotic spider crab Inachus phalangium (Decapoda). Ethology 72: 311-328

[5] DITIEL, A.I. & C.E. EPIFANIO. 1984. Growth and development of the portunid crab Callinectes arcuatus Ordway: zoeae, megalopae, and juveniles. Jour. Crustacean Biol. 4 (3): 491-494.

[6] ELNER, R.W. & P.G. BENINGER. 1992. The reproductive Biology of snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio: A synthesis of recent contributions. Amer. Zool. 32: 524-533.

[7] FRANSOZO, A. & N.J. HEBLING. 1982. Desenvolvimento pós embrionário de Mithrax hispidus (Herbst, 1790) (Decapoda, Majidae) em laboratório. Ci. Culto 34 (3): 385-395.

[8] FRANSOZO, A. & M.L. NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO. 1997. Larval stages of Pyromaia tuberculata (Lockington, 1877) (Decapoda, Majidae, lnachidae) reared in the laboratory. Crustaceana 70 (3): 304-323.

[9] FUROTA, T. 1996. Life cycle studies on lhe introduced spider crab Pyromaia tuberculata (Lockington) (Brachyura, Majidae).II Crab stage and reproduction. Jour. Crustacean Biol. 16: 77-91.

[10] HAEFNER JR., P.A. 1978. Seasonal aspects of the biology, distribution and relative abundance of the deep-sea red crab Geryon quinquidens Smith, in the vicinity of lhe Norfolk Canyon, weslern north Atlantic. Proc. Nat. Shell. Ass. 68: 49-62.

[11] HIYODO, C.M.; A. FRANSOZO & M.L. NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO. 1994. Larval development of the spider crab Acanthonix petiverii H. Milne Edwards, 1834 (Decapoda, Majidae) in the laboratory. Crustaceana 66 (1): 53-66.

[12] KENNELLY, S.J. & D. WATKINS. 1994. Fecundity and reproductive period, and their relationship to cacth rates of spanner crabs, Ranina ranina, off lhe easl coast of Auslralia. Jour. Crustacean Biol. 14 (1): 146-150.

[13] MELO, G.A.S. 1996. Manual de Identificação dos Brachyura (Caranguejos e Siris) do Litoral Brasileiro. Plêaide, São Paulo, 604p.

[14] NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO, M.L. & A. FRANSOZO. 1991. Larval stages of Epialtus brasiliensis Dana, 1982 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Majidae) reared in lhe laboratory, with notes on lhe characteres of the Majid subfamilies. Crustaceana 60 (2): 199-212.

[15] PAUL, A.J. 1984. Mating frequency and viability of stored sperm in the tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi (Decapoda, Majidae). Jour. Crustacean Biol. 4 (3): 375-381.

[16] PROVENZANO JR., AJ. & W.N. BROWNELL. 1977. Larval and early post-larval stages of the West Indian spider crab, Mithrax spinosissimsus (Lamarck) (Decapoda: Majidae). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 90 (3): 735-752.

[17] RABALAIS, N.N. 1991. Egg production in crabs with abbrevialed development. In: A. WENNER & A. KURIS (Eds). Crustacean egg production. Rotterdam, A.A.Balkema, 401p.

[18] SASTRY, A.N. 1983. Ecological aspects of reproduction. In: F.J. VERNBERG & W.B. VERNBERG (Eds). The Biology of Crustacea. Environrnental adaptations. New York, Academic Press, Vol. 8, 383p.

[19] STEARNS. S.C. 1977. The evolution of the life-history traits: A critique of the theory and a review of the data. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 8: 145-171.

[20] WILLlAMS, A.B. 1984. Shrimps, Lobsters and Crabs of the Atlantic Coast of the Eastern United States, Maine to Florida. Washington, DC, Srnithsonian Institution Press, 550p.

[21] YAU, P.M. 1992. Breeding and seasonal population changes of Gaetice depressus (Decapoda: Grapsidae) on the Hong Kong shores. Asian Mar. Biol. 9: 181-192.

[22] ZAR, J.H. 1999. Bioestatistical Analysis. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 4^th ed., 930p.