INVESTIGADORES
BAS Claudia Cristina
artículos
Título:
Molt and growth of an estuarine crab, Chasmagnathus granulatus (Brachyura: Varunidae), in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, Argentina
Autor/es:
LUPPI TOMÁS; SPIVAK EDUARDO; BAS CLAUDIA; ANGER KLAUS
Revista:
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY-ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ANGEWANDTE ICHTHYOLOGIE
Editorial:
Blackwell
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2004 vol. 20 p. 333 - 344
ISSN:
0175-8659
Resumen:
Summary
Juvenile and adult growth of Chasmagnathus granulatus was
studied in the laboratory in terms of molt increment in size
(MI) and the intermolt period (IP), comparing data obtained
from short-term (STE) and long-term (LTE) laboratory
experiments. Crabs in a pre-molt condition were collected for
STE, including the entire size range of the species. Larger crabs
remained in the laboratory no more than 14 days; the average
time to molt was 5.8 ± 3.1 days. We registered the molt of 94
females, 64 males and 34 undifferentiated juveniles and
calculated their MI. Moreover, 24 males and four females
were reared in the laboratory over 3 years (LTE). Hiatt
diagrams did not show sex-specific differences between juveniles
of both sexes, but revealed differences between juveniles
and adults in each sex as well as between adults of both sexes.
The MI decreased gradually with size; this pattern was
described with a quadratic model. The IP increased exponentially
with size. The presence of regenerating limbs diminished
the MI. The abdomen of females reached its final shape and
maximum relative width at functional maturity. Growth
curves for both sexes were calculated using the von Bertalanffy
model, but this model yielded an underestimation of the actual
maximum size of this crab.Chasmagnathus granulatus was
studied in the laboratory in terms of molt increment in size
(MI) and the intermolt period (IP), comparing data obtained
from short-term (STE) and long-term (LTE) laboratory
experiments. Crabs in a pre-molt condition were collected for
STE, including the entire size range of the species. Larger crabs
remained in the laboratory no more than 14 days; the average
time to molt was 5.8 ± 3.1 days. We registered the molt of 94
females, 64 males and 34 undifferentiated juveniles and
calculated their MI. Moreover, 24 males and four females
were reared in the laboratory over 3 years (LTE). Hiatt
diagrams did not show sex-specific differences between juveniles
of both sexes, but revealed differences between juveniles
and adults in each sex as well as between adults of both sexes.
The MI decreased gradually with size; this pattern was
described with a quadratic model. The IP increased exponentially
with size. The presence of regenerating limbs diminished
the MI. The abdomen of females reached its final shape and
maximum relative width at functional maturity. Growth
curves for both sexes were calculated using the von Bertalanffy
model, but this model yielded an underestimation of the actual
maximum size of this crab.