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

Abstract

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.

Spatial distribution, density, and relative growth of <i>Microphrys bicornutus</i> (Latreille, 1826) (Brachyura: Majidae) in five biotopes in a <i>Thalassia</i> complex

“…In tropical regions it is well known that Brachyura (and crustacea in general) breed throughout the year (Hartnoll, 1965;Cobo, 2002aCobo, , 2002b, but temperature variations can influence the percentage of ovigerous females during the year, at least in crabs that live in shallow waters, so that the lowest values appear during the lowest temperatures. This has been observed in M. bicornutus (this work), and in another tropical crab, Pilumnus vespertilio (Litulo, 2005).…”

Population biology of the spider crab, Mithraculus forceps (A. Milne-Edwards, 1875) (Majidae, Mithracinae) on the southeastern Brazilian coast

“…It commonly occurs on hard substrata, sand bottoms, coral heads, algae, and sponge beds, from the intertidal up to 90 m depth (Melo, 1996). In spite of its abundance over a wide geographical range, the biology of this small spider crab remains poorly studied (e.g., Carmona-Suarez, 2000;Cobo, 2002;Mantelatto et al, 2003) in contrast to the considerable amount of information published concerning other species of majids (e.g., Sampedro et al, 1999;Flores et al, 2002;Marques et al, 2003).…”

Reproductive biology of the spider crab Leucippa pentagona (Decapoda: Epialtidae), in Bustamante Bay, Argentina

“…Populations subjected to seasonal variations must adjust their life cycle to take advantage of more favourable conditions (Sastry, 1983). The presence of multiple spawnings and ovigerous females all year round have been reported for some low-latitude species of Majoidea, such as Microphrys bicornutus Latreille, 1825(López-Greco et al, 2000, M. forceps (Hernández-Reyes et al, 2001;Cobo, 2002) and Acanthonyx scutiformis (Monteiro-Texeira et al, 2009). Seasonal reproductive patterns have been observed in Chionoecetes opilio (Sainte-Marie, 1993) and C. japonicus (Yosho, 2000).…”

“…The size at sexual maturity, fecundity and duration of the reproductive season are the most common reproductive aspects reported in the literature (e.g. Hartnoll, 1963;Sainte-Marie, 1993;Hernández-Reyes et al, 2001;Cobo, 2002;Vinuesa & Balzi, 2002;Vinuesa, 2007a;Monteiro-Teixeira et al, 2009).…”