Brachyuran crabs Mithraculus sculptus and Mithraculus forceps are heavily traded in the marine aquarium industry. To
evaluate the aquaculture potential of these two species and to determine the most suitable species for further investigation, the
growth, development, and survival of the larvae fed with two diets—newly hatched Artemia nauplii (NHA) and enriched
Artemia nauplii (EA) with Algamac 3050—and those that were not fed (controls) were compared. In both species, starved
larvae failed to develop past zoea 1 stage; however, survival, developmental rates, and growth rates were not different between
crabs fed the two diets. Mean larval duration was significantly shorter for M. forceps fed either diet (8.3F0.5 for both
treatments) than for M. sculptus (9.5F0.5 and 9.2F0.4 days for NHA and EA, respectively). Survivorship to juveniles was
significantly higher in M. forceps (79.8F7.0% and 74.3F7.3% for NHA and EA diets, respectively) than in M. sculptus
(19.3F15.3% and 25.7F9.9% for NHA and EA diets, respectively). Larval size and weight were not significantly different
between diets or species; however, the crab 1 stage of M. forceps reared with either diet (220F19 and 226F25 Ag for NHA and
EA, respectively) was significantly larger than that of M. sculptus (189F11 and 200F23 Ag for NHA and EA, respectively).
The rarity and higher market price, combined with the higher survivorship to juveniles, make M. forceps the better candidate for
aquaculture