Reproduction of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Brachyura: Portunidae) on the Brazilian Coast near 23°30′S

Abstract

The reproductive biology of Arenaeus cribrarius from Ubatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil, was studied. Swimming crabs were sampled monthly for two years with otter trawls in two bays. A total of 941 males and 1,012 females were examined. Mating took place mainly in autumn involving postmolt females and intermolt males. At that time, gonad regression was verified in adult males, due to spermatophore transfer, and the molting of adult females. Ovigerous females or females with mature gonads were present year-round but more frequently captured during spring and summer. We found that 1% of all adult females were premolt, which indicated the occurrence of another mature instar and thus the absence of a well-defined terminal molt after puberty. Intermolt males were captured throughout the whole study period.