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For golden crab, Chaceon fenneri, and red crab, Chaceon quinquedens, numbers per trap, sex, and crab size were tested for broad bathymetric, geographic, and seasonal patterns on the upper continental slope, northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Red crab occupied only the deepest of three sampled depths (i.e. 677 m vs. 494 and 311 m) while golden crab predominated at the upper two. Golden crab occurred adjacent to peninsular Florida, but not along the northern Gulf slope, while red crab occurred across the geographic arc sampled. Relative abundance increased southward for golden crab and northwestward for red crab, while the proportion of females increased counter-clockwise within the sampled range of each species. Golden crab exhibited a Chaceon-typical bathymetric pattern of partial sex segregation and size inversely related to depth, but male and female bathymetric patterns shifted seasonally with lags between geographic areas. Interspecific competition cannot explain the species depth zonation, while geographic and seasonal patterns may relate to Loop Current–Florida Current circulation.

Geographic, seasonal, and bathymetric distributions of Chaceon larvae are described for the northeastem Gulf of Mexico.

No abstract

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