The aim of this studywas to clarify the underlying cause of the mass mortality that occurs during seed production
by the swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, an important fisheries and aquaculture resource. We sampled
fourth-stage (last-stage) zoeae and megalopae to make morphological measurements and obtained information
on the larval culture methods, larval culture conditions and survival rates from 111 seed production trials
conducted by 12 hatcheries in Japan between 2009 and 2010.We examined the relationships between the larval
culture factors, morphological variations and survival rates. The survival rate declined more significantly from
the fourth-stage zoeae to the megalopae (52.9%) and from the megalopae to the juvenile crabs (43.9%) than
between any other successive zoeal stages (80.5–85.4%). Morphological variations were observed in the
megalopae; i.e., some larvae retained a dorsal spine or furcae on their telsons, which are zoeal morphological
features. The larval survival rates from the first-stage zoeae to the juvenile crabs and from the fourth-stage
zoeae to themegalopae decreased significantlywith increasing zoeal features in themegalopae,whereas survival
was not affected by the megalopal morphological features observed in the fourth-stage zoeae or any of the
culture factors. The carapace length of the fourth-stage zoeae decreased significantly with later hatching date
and increasing water temperature. The carapace length was the only factor that correlated positively with the
survival rate from the megalopae to the juvenile crabs, which suggests that nutrient accumulation during the
zoeal stages affects survival after the megalopal stage. Our study identified a relationship between the presence
of immature megalopae that retained zoeal morphological features and mass larval mortality from the last-stage
zoeae to the megalopae, which provides new insights into the causes of mass larval mortality in a brachyuran
crab.
The aim of this studywas to clarify the underlying cause of the mass mortality that occurs during seed production
by the swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, an important fisheries and aquaculture resource. We sampled
fourth-stage (last-stage) zoeae and megalopae to make morphological measurements and obtained information
on the larval culture methods, larval culture conditions and survival rates from 111 seed production trials
conducted by 12 hatcheries in Japan between 2009 and 2010.We examined the relationships between the larval
culture factors, morphological variations and survival rates. The survival rate declined more significantly from
the fourth-stage zoeae to the megalopae (52.9%) and from the megalopae to the juvenile crabs (43.9%) than
between any other successive zoeal stages (80.5–85.4%). Morphological variations were observed in the
megalopae; i.e., some larvae retained a dorsal spine or furcae on their telsons, which are zoeal morphological
features. The larval survival rates from the first-stage zoeae to the juvenile crabs and from the fourth-stage
zoeae to themegalopae decreased significantlywith increasing zoeal features in themegalopae,whereas survival
was not affected by the megalopal morphological features observed in the fourth-stage zoeae or any of the
culture factors. The carapace length of the fourth-stage zoeae decreased significantly with later hatching date
and increasing water temperature. The carapace length was the only factor that correlated positively with the
survival rate from the megalopae to the juvenile crabs, which suggests that nutrient accumulation during the
zoeal stages affects survival after the megalopal stage. Our study identified a relationship between the presence
of immature megalopae that retained zoeal morphological features and mass larval mortality from the last-stage
zoeae to the megalopae, which provides new insights into the causes of mass larval mortality in a brachyuran
crab.
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