Laboratory behavior of adolescent and adult males of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) (Brachyura: Majidae) mated noncompetitively and competitively with primiparous females

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Sainte-Marie ◽  
J -M Sevigny ◽  
Y Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Snow Crab ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio

Interannual variability of sperm reserves and fecundity of primiparous females of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in relation to sex ratio

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1932-1940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Sainte-Marie ◽  
Jean-Marie Sévigny ◽  
Mireille Carpentier
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Carapace Width ◽  
Weight Percent ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Reproductive Condition ◽  
Embryo Production ◽  
Potential Fecundity ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
Female Promiscuity

Demographics of adults and reproductive condition of primiparous (first brood) females of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) were monitored annually from 1994 to 2002 at a fished site to investigate the possibility that sperm supply limits embryo production. Abundance of primipara fluctuated 533-fold because of a recruitment pulse, and this caused a large oscillation in the sex ratio of adult males to primipara. Annual mean of stored ejaculate weight (SL) and potential fecundity index (PF, clutch weight × percent fertilized eggs) adjusted to constant primipara carapace width ranged from 31 to 130 mg by spermatheca and from 1.97 to 3.43 g by clutch, respectively. Annual mean of SL and number of stored sperm (range 3.81 × 106 to 35.00 × 106 sperm by spermatheca) decreased when sex ratio decreased, probably because of a combined reduction of sperm allocation and female promiscuity. Annual mean PF was negatively correlated with abundance of small males, which may reflect egg losses during postoviposition matings. Although sociosexual context has a large impact on reproductive condition of primipara, the possibility that sperm supply limits embryo production could not be confirmed or excluded because of the complexity of snow crab mating behavior.

Growth and maturation of the benthic stages of male snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio (Brachyura: Majidae)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Sainte-Marie ◽  
Sylvain Raymond ◽  
Jean-Claude Brêthes
Keyword(s):  
Carapace Width ◽  
Adolescent Males ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Beam Trawl ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Gonad Weight ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
Maturity Indices ◽  
Three Stages

Growth and maturation of postlarval male snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in an exploited Gulf of Saint Lawrence population were elucidated using size distributions in beam trawl samples taken bimonthly from April 1991 to May 1992, moult and maturity indices, and measures of growth per moult. Males develop in three stages: immature, without spermatophores; adolescent, with spermatophores but undifferentiated chelae; and adult, with spermatophores and differentiated chelae. Males change from immature to adolescent after a puberty moult, and from adolescent to adult after a terminal moult producing a final carapace width (CW) >40 mm. The slope of the regression relating post- to pre-moult CW decreases after puberty. Carapace moult increments are the same at pre-terminal and terminal moults, for a constant premoult CW. Males recruit to the legal size of 95-mm CW at instar XII, ≈8.7 years or more after settlement. The slope of the regression of gonad weight on CW is less for adult than for adolescent males owing to the formers' participation in reproduction and to greater depletion of sperm stores in large than in small adult males. Gonad weight increases with time since moult, but for large adults, did not reach levels recorded in prefishery times or in an unfished population.

scholarly journals Characterizing snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) movements in the Sydney Bight (Nova Scotia, Canada): a collaborative approach using multiscale acoustic telemetry

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Cote ◽  
Jean-Marc Nicolas ◽  
Frederick Whoriskey ◽  
Adam. M. Cook ◽  
Jeremy Broome ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stage ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Movement Velocity ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio

Like many deeper ocean species, the fine-scale movement ecology of snow crab is not well understood. We integrated fine-scale positioning telemetry with larger-scale position estimates from autonomous mobile surveys and harvester returns to evaluate movements of male and female snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio). Effects of life stage–sex, temperature, and diel and tidal cycles on movement velocity were observed, with a tendency for increased velocities during the night, slack tide, and at increasing water temperatures. Males also moved faster than females and juveniles. The strength of these statistical relationships, however, was weak (R2 = 7.2%). The movement direction also did not vary over the tidal cycle. The maximum distance moved for adult males was an order of magnitude higher (37.1 km) than for females (3.6 km) and juvenile males (3.9 km), but median distances were more similar across groups. Individuals, once released, tended to disperse and move toward slope habitats. Little evidence of site fidelity was apparent. The absence of strong environmental influences on movements likely reflected the behavioural plasticity of snow crab and the relative environmental stability of offshore environments.

scholarly journals Size-at-maturity shift in a male-only fishery: factors affecting molt-type outcomes in Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrell R J Mullowney ◽  
Krista D Baker
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Size At Maturity ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Male Density ◽  
Process Factors

Abstract A sex-asymmetric downward shift in size-at-terminal-molt has recently occurred in males in some portions of the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) snow crab stock range, a first known occurrence for such processes in snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) stocks. This study examines plausible factors promoting the shift in size-at-terminal-molt [synonymous with size-at-maturity (SaM)] including individual size, temperature, population density, and sex ratio. Analyses highlight expanse of cold water and large male density as being significant predictors of molt-type outcomes. A confluence of cold conditions and low density of large males promoted the SaM shift. In turn, the low male density was associated with recently elevated fishery exploitation rates under quota-controlled management. It remains unknown the extent to which the reduction in terminal size reflects a phenotypic vs. genotypic process. Factors affecting skip-molting in male snow crab are investigated, and we find that skip-molting occurs most frequently under extreme cold and high population density conditions. Potential complications arising from altered growth dynamics are discussed. Overall, the results advance knowledge on intraspecific competition processes within snow crab populations and inform fisheries management systems that male-only harvest strategies do not provide full protection from biological harm to aquatic resources through fishing.

scholarly journals Panmixia in Alaskan populations of the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (Malacostraca: Decapoda) in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory T. Albrecht ◽  
Kris J. Hundertmark ◽  
Alexandra E. Valentin ◽  
Sarah M. Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Snow Crab ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio

SHELL STRENGTH AND CARAPACE SIZE IN NON-ADULT AND ADULT MALE SNOW CRAB (CHIONOECETES OPILIO)

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
J-D. Dutil ◽  
C. Rollet ◽  
R. Bouchard ◽  
W. T. Claxton
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio
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