NOAATR NMFS SSRF-637

A UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE
PUBLICATION

«*4"""co»

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NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-637

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service

Occurrence of Larval, Juvenile, and
Mature Crabs in the Vicinity of
Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina

DONNIE L. DUDLEY AND MAYO H. JUDY

LIBRA**
$8>l3t9f72

WoodfHole,Masa.

SEATTLE, WA.
August 1971

NOAA TECHNICAL REPORTS
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MMOSft,

*»msn*<r

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
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Philip M. Roedel, Director

NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-637

Occurrence of Larval, Juvenile, and
Mature Crabs in the Vicinity of
Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina

DONNIE L. DUDLEY AND MAYO H. JUDY

Marine Biological Laboratory

LIBRARY

SEP 1 3 1972

Woods Hole, Mass.

SEATTLE, WA.
August 1971

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C., 20402 - Price 25 cents

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1

Sampling stations and techniques 1

Seasonal occurrence of larval, juvenile and adult crabs 2

Larval crabs 2

Juvenile and adult crabs 6

Summary 6

Literature cited 9

in

Occurrence of Larval, Juvenile, and Mature Crabs in the
Vicinity of Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina

By

DONNIE L. DUDLEY and MAYO H. JUDY
Fishery Biologists

Center for Estuarine and Menhaden Research
Beaufort, North Carolina 28516

ABSTRACT

Monthly samples from 13 ocean stations near Beaufort Inlet, N.C., were examined for
the occurrence of crab larvae in 1962. Larval collections were supplemented by sam-
pling with a bottom trawl for juveniles and adults in 1962 and 1963. Trawling was
restricted to a small area near the sea buoy at the Inlet. Larvae of 27 species of crabs
were taken during the study and were most abundant during the summer and fall.
Adults of 13 species of crabs occurred in the collections, with Callinectes sapidus, C.
similis, Portimus gibbesii, Ovalipes ocellatus, and Hepatus epheliticus being the more
prevalent.

INTRODUCTION

During 1962 and 1963, as a part of the blue
crab studies at the National Marine Fisheries
Service Laboratory, Beaufort, N.C., plankton
samplers and bottom trawls were fished off-
shore to determine the seasonal distribution
and abundance of various crab stages. Plank-
ton stations were sampled twice a month from
May through November 1962, and bottom
trawl samples for juvenile and adult crabs
were taken twice a month from June 1962
through December 1963. The study provided
information on the species present and their
time of spawning. Also, our knowledge of
the size of the crab populations was increased.

SAMPLING STATIONS AND
TECHNIQUES

Larvae were collected in the ocean at 13
plankton stations in an area extending approx-
imately 8 km east and west of the Beaufort

Inlet and 13 km offshore (Figure 1). Stations
1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10 were approximately 1.6 km
offshore and stations 3, 4, 7, 8, and 11 were ap-
proximately 6.5 km offshore. Stations 12 and
13 were 10 and 13 km offshore, respectively.
Stations were located about 4 km apart on an
east-west axis. Two samples were collected
twice a month at each station, one at 1 m and
the other at 8 m below the surface. Two 127-mm
diameter Clark-Bumpus plankton samplers,
equipped with nylon net with 526-/* mesh
openings and a cap with 390-yu. mesh openings,
were used for sampling. Samples were collected
by fishing the two samplers simultaneously for
10 min. The samples were preserved in 2%
formaldehyde in 120-ml jars. Three 4-ml ali-
quots of each sample were examined for crab
larvae.

Two 30-min hauls with a 8.5-m otter trawl
were made twice a month near the sea buoy
(Figure 1, station 3) in 11 to 14 m of water.
The trawl was constructed of nylon netting
with 22-mm mesh (bar measure) in the body

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and 13-mm mesh in the cod end. Relative
abundance, size, sex, and stage of sexual ma-
turity of the females were obtained for each
species present. The egg mass or sponge, if
present, was recorded either as orange, first laid
eggs, or as black, mature eggs ready to hatch.

SEASONAL OCCURRENCE OF LARVAL,
JUVENILE, AND ADULT CRABS

Larval Crabs

Plankton collections contained 27 different
types of crab larvae. Callinectes spp. were
identified as to larval and megalops stages.
Other crabs were identified only as to genus
or species (Tables 1, 2, and 3). The most
abundant genus was Callinectes which oc-

curred during all months sampled (May
through November) with the highest catches
in June, July, and August. Callinectes spp.
larvae were taken at all stations but greater
concentrations were found at the offshore sta-
tions and generally were caught near the sur-
face. Of special interest was the presence of
Callinectes (stages 2 and 3) at offshore stations
12 and 13. Nichols and Keney (1963) found
the more advanced stages of Callinectes 64 to
97 km offshore in plankton collections from the
Theodore N. Gill cruises. In our samples
megalops larvae (last larval stage) were col-
lected only occasionally and then only in small
numbers.

One of the more abundant genera, Uca, was
prevalent from May through August but not
after September. This genus was well repre-
sented in the collections at most stations but

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only a few were taken at the offshore stations
(12 and 13). Uca spp. larvae were taken in
equal numbers at both the 1-m and the 8-m
depths. The megalops stages were collected
only during August, September, and October.

Neopanope spp. occurred from May through
November and were most numerous at the 8-m
depth and inshore stations. This genus was
found only four times at stations 12 and 13,
and only at the 8-m depth.

Pinnixa spp. occurred at all stations and
during all months of sampling, May through
November. Occurrence was greatest at the
8-m depth.

Portunus gibbesii occurred in relatively large
numbers at all stations from May through No-
vember. More were taken at the 1-m depth
and higher concentrations occurred from May
through August. The offshore stations were
more productive.

Hepatus spp. occurred in relatively large
numbers during July, August, and September;
best catches were near the surface at offshore
stations.

spawning (black sponges observed) of C. sim-
ilis occurred during September and October,
while peak spawning of C. sapidus occurred
during June, July, and August. Even though
some overlap in spawning occurred, this time
difference in "prime hatching periods" could
serve as a guide in separating the larvae of
the two forms.

Portunus gibbesii are year round inhabitants
of this area occurring in greater numbers dur-
ing June, July, and August. Females bearing
egg masses were found principally during May
and June.

Ovalipes ocellatus were numerous during
June and July and probably are winter spawn-
ers because only four were taken with sponge,
two in October, one in December, and one in
February. The larvae were not identified in
our plankton collections but could have been
one of the unknowns.

Portunus spinimanus were most abundant
from July through October. Only a few sponge
females were taken, mostly in June. The lar-
vae were not identified in our plankton col-
lections.

Juvenile and Adult Crabs

One of the more abundant species collected
with the bottom trawl was the blue crab, Cal-
linectes sapidus (Table 4). Adults were quite
common from June through September, and
immature forms were more abundant during
June and July. The adult population was al-
most 95% females. Male crabs are generally
found in the lower saline waters of this area,
primarily in the upper Newport River, Neuse
River, etc. More than 50% of the females
caught during June, July, and August had a
sponge (egg mass on the abdomen). The blue
crabs caught during January and February
1963 were taken in an area where clam dredges
were operating. Blue crabs normally are bur-
ied in the soft bottom and are not available to
trawl gear at this time. Trawl samples in
areas away from the dredge areas did not con-
tain blue crabs.

Callinectes similis also were common and oc-
curred during most months but were most
abundant during July and August. Peak

SUMMARY

Larval, juvenile, and adult forms of 11 fam-
ilies and some 28 species were collected in the
vicinity of Beaufort Inlet. Several other un-
identified larval crab species were also collected
during the study. Most species occurred in
greatest numbers during summer and early
fall. Generally only first and second stage Cal-
linectes larvae were collected; other species
were not identified as to stage. The megalops
stage of only five genera were collected and
in relatively small numbers.

Trawl studies indicated when different crab
species were most prevalent and when larvae
might be present by noting females with egg
mass. Sex ratios were approximately the same
for most species except Callinectes sapidus,
which were predominantly female both as im-
matures and as matures.

Larval, juvenile, and adult crabs collected in
the Beaufort Inlet area during 1962 and 1963
are shown in Table 5.

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Table 5. — Checklist of larval, juvenile, and adult crabs
collected Beaufort Inlet area, N.C., during 1962 and
1963.

Scientific name

Common name

PORCELLANIDAE

Polyonyx gibbesi Haig

HIPPIDAE

Emerita tatyoida (Say)

LEUCOSIIDAE

Persephona punctata Rathbun

CALAPPIDAE

Calappa flammea (Herbst)
Hepatus epheliticus (Linnaeus)

PORTUNIDAE

Ovalipes ocellatus (Herbst)
Ovalipes quadulpensis (Saussure)
Portunas sayi (Gibbes)
Portunas gibbesii (Stimpson)
Portuniis spinimanus Latreille
Callinectes sapidus Rathbun
Callinectes similis Ordway1
Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck)

CANCRIDAE

Cancer borealis Stimpson

XANTHIDAE
Pilumnus spp.
Menippe mercenaria (Say)
Neopanope texana sayi (Smith)
Eurypanopeus depressus (Smith)
Panopeus herbstii
H. Milne-Edwards

PINNOTHERIDAE

Pinnotheres ostreum Say
Pinnotheres maculatus Say
Dissodactylus mellitae Rathbun
Pinnixa spp.

GRAPSIDAE

Pachygrapsus transversus

(Gibbes)
Sesarma spp.

OCYPODIDAE
Uca spp.

MAJIDAE

Libinia emarginata Leach
Libinia dubia H. Milne-Edwards

Mole crab

Purse crab

Box crab
Calico crab

Spotted lady crab
Lady crab

Blue crab1
Speckled crab
Jonah crab

Stone crab

Flat mud crab

Common mud crab

Oyster crab
Mussel crab

Mottled shore crab

Fiddler crab

Spider crab
Spider crab

1 Only juvenile and adult form of
were identified.

Callinectes similis

LITERATURE CITED

(Citations have been numbered to permit easy ref-
erence in tables)

1. AIKAWA, HIROAKI.

1929. On larval forms of some Brachyura.
Rec. Oceanogr. Works Jap. 2: 17-55.

2. 1933. On larval forms of some Brachyura,

Paper II ; a note on indeterminable
zoeas. Rec. Oceanogr. Works Jap. 5 :
124-254.

3. 1937. Further notes on Brachyuran larvae.

Rec. Oceanogr. Works Jap. 9: 87-162.

4. BROOKS, W. K., and E. B. WILSON.

1883. The first zoea of Porcellana. Stud.
Biol. Lab., Johns Hopkins Univ. 2:
58-64.

5. CHAMBERLAIN, N. A.

1961. Studies on the larval development of
Neopanope texana sayi (Smith) and
other crabs of the family Xanthidae
(Brachyura). Chesapeake Bay Inst,
Johns Hopkins Univ., Tech. Rep. 22,
35 p.

6. COSTLOW, JOHN D., JR., and C. G. BOOK-

HOUT.

1959. The larval development of Callinectes
sapidus Rathbun reared in the lab-
oratory. Biol. Bull. (Woods Hole)
116: 376-396.

7. 1960. The complete larval development of

Sesarma cinereum (Bosc) reared in
the laboratory. Biol. Bull. (Woods
Hole) 118: 203-214.

8. 1961. The larval development of Eurypanop-

eus depressus (Smith) under labora-
tory conditions. Crustaceana 2: 6-15.

9. 1961. The larval stages of Panopeus herbstii

Milne-Edwards reared in the labora-
tory. J. Elisha Mitchill Sci. Soc. 77:
33-42.

10. 1962. The larval development of Hepatus

epheliticus (L.) under laboratory con-
ditions. J. Elisha Mitchill Sci. Soc.
78: 113-125.

11. 1962. The larval development of Sesarma

reticulatum Say reared in the labora-
tory. Crustaceana 4: 281-294.

12. HARDY, ALISTER C.

1956. The planktonic Crustacea. In Alister
C. Hardy, The open sea, its natural
history: The world of plankton, p.
156-177. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

13. HAY, W. P., and C. A. SHORE.

1918. The decapod crustaceans of Beaufort,
N.C., and the surrounding region.
[U.S.] Bull. Bur. Fish. 35: 369-475.

14. HYMAN, O. W.

1920. The development of Gelasimus after
hatching. J. Morphol. 33: 485-501.

15. 1925. Studies on larvae of crabs of the fa-

mily Pinnotheridae. Proc. U.S. Nat.
Mus. 64(2497) : 1-9.

16. 1925. Studies on larvae of crabs of the fa-

mily Grapsidae. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus.
65(2532) : 1-8.

17. 1926. Studies on the larvae of crabs of the

family Xanthidae. Proc. U.S. Nat.
Mus. 67(2575) : 1-22.

18. LUNZ, G. ROBERT, JR.

1937. Xanthidae (mud crabs) of the Caro-
linas. Charleston Mus. Leafl. 9: 9-28.

19. NICHOLS, PAUL R., and PEGGY M. KENEY.

1963. Crab larvae (Callinect.es) , in plankton
collections from cruises of M/V The-
odore N. Gill, South Atlantic coast of
the United States, 1953-54. U.S. Fish
Wildl. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish. 448,
14 p.

20. PORTER, HUGH J.

1960. Zoeal stages of the stone crab, Menippe
mercenaria Say. Chesapeake Sci. 1:
168-177.

21. RATHBUN, MARY J.

1896. The genus Callinectes. Proc. U.S. Nat.
Mus. 18(1070) : 349-375.

22. 1918. The grapsoid crabs of America. Bull.

U.S. Nat. Mus. 97, 461 p.

23. 1925. The spider crabs of America. Bull.

U.S. Nat. Mus. 129, 613 p.

24. 1930. The cancroid crabs of America of the

families Euryalidae, Portunidae, Atel-
ecyclidae, Cancridae and Xanthidae.
Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 609 p.

25. REES, GEORGE H.

1959. Larval development of the sand crab
Emerita talpoida (Say) in the labora-
tory. Biol. Bull (Woods Hole) 117:
356-370.

26. RYAN, EDWARD PARSONS.

1956. Observations on the life histories and
the distributions of the Xanthidae
(mud crabs) of Chesapeake Bay.
Amer. Midland Natur. 56: 138-162.

27. WILLIAMS, AUSTIN B.

1965. Marine decapod crustaceans of the
Carolinas. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv.,
Fish. Bull. 65: 1-298.

10

GPO 998-754

MBL HSLUjSB - S.r ...

5 WHSE 01819

salmon (models I and II), by Daniel W. Bates
and John G. Vanderwalker, pp. 1-5, 6 figs., 1
table; 2d paper, Design and operation of a canti-
levered traveling fish screen (model V), by Dan-
iel W. Bates, Ernest W. Murphey, and Earl F.
Prentice, 10 figs., 1 table.

609. Annotated bibliography of zooplankton sampling
devices. By Jack W. Jossi. July 1970, iii +
90 pp.

610. Limnological study of lower Columbia River,
1967-68. By Shirley M. Clark and George R.
Snyder. July 1970, iii + 14 pp., 15 figs., 11 tables.

611. Laboratory tests of an electrical barrier for con-
trolling predation by northern squawfish. By
Galen H. Maxfield, Robert H. Lander, and
Charles D. Volz. July 1970, iii -f 8 pp., 4 figs.,

5 tables.

612. The Trade Wind Zone Oceanography Pilot Study.
Part VIII: Sea-level meteorological properties
and heat exchange processes, July 1963 to June
1965. By Gunter R. Seckel. June 1970, iv -f
129 pp., 6 figs., 8 tables.

613. Sea-bottom photographs and macrobenthos col-
lections from the Continental Shelf off Massa-
chusetts. By Roland L. Wigley and Roger B.
Theroux. August 1970, iii + 12 pp., 8 figs., 2
tables.

614. A sled-mounted suction sampler for benthic or-
ganisms. By Donald M. Allen and J. Harold
Hudson. August 1970, iii + 5 pp., 5 figs., 1 table.

615. Distribution of fishing effort and catches of skip-
jack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, in Hawaiian
waters, by quarters of the year, 1948-65. By
Richard N. Uchida. June 1970, iv + 37 pp.,

6 figs., 22 tables.

616. Effect of quality of the spawning bed on growth
and development of pink salmon embryos and
alevins. By Ralph A. Wells and William J. Mc-
Neil. August 1970, iii + 6 pp., 4 tables.

617. Fur seal investigations, 1968. By NMFS, Ma-
rine Mammal Biological Laboratory. December
1970, iii + 69 pp., 68 tables.

618. Spawning areas and abundance of steelhead
trout and coho, sockeye, and chum salmon in
the Columbia River Basin - past and present. By
Leonard A. Fulton. December 1970, iii + 37 pp.,
6 figs., 11 maps, 9 tables.

619. Macrozooplankton and small nekton in the
coastal waters off Vancouver Island (Canada)
and Washington, spring and fall of 1963. By

Donald S. Day, January 1971, iii -f 94 pp., 19
figs., 13 tables.

620. The Trade Wind Zone Oceanography Pilot Study.
Part IX: The sea-level wind field and wind stress
values, July 1963 to June 1965. By Gunter R.
Seckel. June 1970, iii + 66 pp., 5 figs.

621. Predation by sculpins on fall chinook salmon,
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, fry of hatchery or-
igin. By Benjamin G. Patten. February 1971,
iii + 14 pp., 6 figs., 9 tables.

622. Number and lengths, by season, of fishes caught
with an otter trawl near Woods Hole, Massa-
chusetts, September 1961 to December 1962.
By F. E. Lux and F. E. Nichy. February 1971,
iii + 15 pp., 3 figs., 19 tables.

623. Apparent abundance, distribution, and migra-
tions of albacore, Thunnus alalunga, on the North
Pacific longline grounds. By Brian J. Rothschild
and Marian Y. Y. Yong. September 1970, v +
37 pp., 19 figs., 5 tables.

624. Influence of mechanical processing on the quality
and yield of bay scallop meats. By N. B. Webb
and F. B. Thomas. April 1971, iii + 11 pp., 9
figs., 3 tables.

625. Distribution of salmon and related oceanographic
features in the North Pacific Ocean, spring 1968.
By Robert R. French, Richard G. Bakkala, Ma-
sanao Osako, and Jun Ito. March 1971, iii +
22 pp., 19 figs., 3 tables.

626. Commercial fishery and biology of the fresh-
water shrimp, Macrobrachium, in the Lower St.
Paul River, Liberia, 1952-53. By George C. Mil-
ler. February 1971, iii + 13 pp., 8 figs., 7 tables.

629. Analysis of the operations of seven Hawaiian
skipjack tuna fishing vessels, June-August 1967.
By Richard N. Uchida and Ray F. Sumida.
March 1971, v + 25 pp., 14 figs., 21 tables. For
sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
20402 - 35 cents.

633. Blueing of processed crab meat. II. Identifica-
tion of some factors involved in the blue discol-
oration of canned crab meat (Callinectes sapi-
dus). By Melvin E. Waters. May 1971, iii +
7 pp., 1 fig., 3 tables.

636. Oil pollution on Wake Island from the tanker
R. C. Stoner. By Reginald M. Gooding. May
1971, iii + 12 pp., 8 figs., 2 tables. For sale by
the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern-
ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 -
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