CRAB LARVAE (Callinectes), IN PLANKTON COLLECTIONS FROM CRUISES OF M/V Theodore N. Gill SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES, 1953-54 SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORT-FISHERIES Na 448 (/.arinc Bicfogical Labors^ LIBRARY JAN 2 . '^ WOODS HOLE/k UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR^ FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Stewart L. Udall, Secretary FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, Claronce F. Pautzke, Commissioner BuKKAii OK ('oMMKKC.iAi. KisiiKRi Ks, Donald I,. VIcKernaii, Director CRAB LARVAE (Callinectes), IN PLANKTON COLLECTIONS FROM CRUISES OF M/V Theodore N. Gill, SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES, 1953-54 by Paul R. Nichols and Peggy M. Keney United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Scientific Report — Fisheries No. 448 Washington, D.C. October 1963 CONTENTS Page Introduction 2 Methods Occurrence of Callinectes larvae 4 Discussion Literature cited ^^ iii CRAB LARVAE (Callinectes), IN PLANKTON COLLECTIONS FROM CRUISES OF M/V Theodore N. Gill SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES, 1953-54 by Paul R. Nichols and Peggy M. Keney Fishery Biologists ABSTRACT During the course of nine Gill cruises, plankton was collected at 80 regular stations between Jupiter Light, Fla., and Cape Hatteras, N,C., from near the beaches to beyond the axis of the Gulf Stream, and from 9 special stations farther offshore. Subsamples were taken from selected collections and examined for Ca llinectes larvae. The presence of early stage zoeae indicated that spawning oc- curred throughout the year in Florida waters, but subsided during winter months in waters north of Florida. Early stage zoeae were captured at temperatures from 16.4° to 29.2° C, with peak numbers taken from May to November at 27.0° to 29.0 oc., depending on the area. Early stage zoeae occurred in abundance near the beaches, advanced stage zoeae and megalops were more common offshore, while combined larval stages were found in greatest numbers at the 20-mile offshore stations. INTRODUCTION The identity and distribution of crabs, genus Callinectes occurring along the coast of the Southeastern United States are uncertain. Four crabs of this genus are known to occur in this area. They are C. sapidus. C. omatus. C. danae, and C. l/ar^ireaJ ' 62/ 0 / /* /' / GA. ^ BRUNSWICK d/ 3i S — s©^ „" 37 ' 0 o''\ 35 (■"' 0 \ . 33 '32 3 38 /■ 3, 0' 0I ,^50 /o- a 7 CKSONVILIE \ \ 22 C i ■ / / 0"^/ o^« \ \ 5 \ - HATAMZAS 4 O FLA. ^ 1 20 19: { \ 18 ;i7 p ^ 1 1 15) 16 6 1 / /' / REGULl Ui STATIONS C a STATIONS ■ EONS MENTIONED KT 4 ) 1 ^ PONCE DE LEOl CAPE CANAVE J 1 , , 1 . , 1 ..1 . :0 j 0 " : ! 9 : ■ 1 8 7 '\ LOCAT IN TE \ \ \ hpiierV^ ^] : ? ° i i i — * e \ i ,,,itr 1 j : 1 >i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 'X, 1 1 1 1 i = 82° 81° 80" 79" 78" 77° 76° 750 ' ' 7 4° Figure l.--Basic station plan Theodore N. Gitl cruises, 1953-54. Other crab larvae noted from all collections were Polyonyx sp., Emerita sp., Hepatus sp., Portunus sp., Panopeus sp., Eurypanopeus sp., N eopanope sp., Menippe sp., Rhitfiropanopeus sp.. Pinnotheres sp.y Dissodactylussp., Pinnixa Sesarma sp., (/ca sp., and Leucosiidae plus some which resembled the Japanese genus Ethusozoea. Also some larvae were present which could not be identified. Table 1.-- Cruises of the Theodore N. Gill, with unoccupied stations listed by number, South Atlantic coast of the United States, 1953-54 Cruise Date Unoccupied stations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Feb. 10 - Mar. 10, 1953 Apr. 16 - May 15, 1953 July 15 - Aug. 16, 1953 Oct. 1 - Nov. 14, 1953 Jan. 20 - Feb. 25, 1954 Apr. 14-29, 1954 June 9 - July 13, 1954 Aug. 27 - Oct. 1, 1954 Nov. 3 - Dec. 12, 1954 9, 10, 12-22, 27-31, 63-68, 76, 78-80 50-52 73, 74, 78-80 17, 71-74, 78-80 27, 29-32, 45-57, 60, 72-74, 78-80 18-80 75 40-42, 76 31-34, 64, 73-80 Table 2. — Plankton samples examined for crab larvae, genus Callinectes from Theodore N. Gill cruises. South Atlantic coast of the United States, 1953-54 Samples by station number Cruise Regular Special 1 3, 4, 11, 24, 25, 32, 35, 38, 47, 59-71 2 1-49, 53-78, 80 1-9 3 1-42, 44-61, 63-72, 75-77 5-9 ^ 1-16, 18-43, 45-50, 55-58, 67-69 5 5 4, 6, 10, 12-14, 19, 20, 25, 37, 48, 54, 55, 66 5 7 1-49, 51-74, 76-80 5-9 8 1-7, 9-39, 43-63, 65-75, 79-80 9 10, 13, 19, 20, 23, 24, 36, 37, 43-46, 51, 54,56- -58 67 ,71 DISCUSSION The spawning period, under natural con- ditions, of the four CaUinecu-s species occur- ring on the southeastern United States is not definitely known. The occurrence of early stage larvae in plankton collections from the dill cruises indicates that spawning occurs throughout the year (figs. 5 and 6). Based on the limited range of each species as given by Rathbun (1930), the early stage larvae found from February to November In Florida waters probably included C. sofu'dus and C. nrnatus, with possibly (■■ dcuiae. The early stage larvae found from April to September or from May to November, depending on the area, in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina waters probably was a combination of C. soju'/ks and C. orjiatiis. This, in general, may indicate a difference in spawning period between areas or differences among species in the same area in spawning time and length of spawning period. The temperature and salinity tolerance of Callinectes larvae are uncertain. Costlow and Bookout (1959) successfully hatched C. .sa()/'/»s in the laboratory at temperature-salinity com- binations of 20O, 250, 30° C„ and 21.1 to 32.0 %o. The presence of first stage larvae in plankton samples from the ('ill cruises indi- cates successful hatching by one or more of the species over a wide range of temperatures — from 18. 10 to 29.2° C, in Florida waters. . "■ — I — ' — I — ' — \ — ' — I — ' — I — ' — I — ^ JUPITER I CANAVERAL I MATATCAS I BRUNSWICK I CHARLESTON I LONG BAY I WILMINGTON I CAPE HATTERAS VERO PONCE DE LEON JACKSONVILLE SAVANNAH CAPE ROMAIN CAPE FEAR CAPE LOOKOLT SECTIONS Fi^iure '2.--Relative abundance of Cullincitrs larvae (combined stages) by area collected by tlicodorc N. cm cruises. South Atlantic coast of the United States, 1953-54. from 19.7° to 29.2° C. in Georgia waters, and from 22.0° to 28.2° C. in South Carolina waters (table 4 and fig. 5). The minimum- maximum salinity, when the G'/// cruise col- lections were taken, was 33.4-36.0 /oo. In general, peak spawning occurred in water 27° to 29" C. Peak numbers of first stage larvae appeared in April, June, July, and November in Florida waters; July, August, and September in Georgia waters; and May, July, August, and September in South Carolina and North Carolina waters. This occurrence of early stage larvae by month, however, may only reflect the time at which tows were made. Costlow and Bookout (1959) reported that mortality was highest during the first zoeal stages in all temperature-salinity combina- tions. Once the second molt had been com- pleted, however, some of the larvae lived to metamorphose to the crab. In the (iill cruise material, the large numbers of early stage larvae indicate a similar mortality under natural conditions for early stage zoeae. Also, when several third and fourth stage zoeae were present, advance stage zoeae were usually found in the same collection. Whether most spawning occurs near the beaches and zoeae develop offshore is un- certain. The abundance and distribution on the east-west line from the beaches to 60 or more miles offshore followed the same pattern at all stations in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Large numbers of first and second stage zoeae occurred near the beaches, with progression to advanced stage zoeae occur- ring 20 and 40 miles offshore. Megalops were usually in greater abundance offshore 40 or more miles (fig. 4). In North Carolina waters Table 3. — Callinectes larvae, in plankton samples from Theodore N. Gill cruises. South Atlantic coast of the United States, 1953-54 Number of larvae State and Sta- section Cruise tion. Zoea Mega- 1st 2d 3d 4 th 5th 6th 7th 8th lops Florida : Jupiter 3,4 1 - - - - - - - - 2 1,2,3,S 3 65 6 - - - - - - - 1,2,8 4 14 1 - - - - - - . Vero 3,4,8 5 8 - - - - - - - 1 4,5,8 6 - - - - - - - - 15 8 7 - - - - - - - - 1 3 ^ 9 - - - - - - - - 2 Canaveral . . . 7 9 - - - - - - - - 1 2,3,4,8,9 10 86 - - - - - - 2 2 11 7 - - - - - - - - 2,3,8 12 45 - - - - - - - - Ponce de Leon 2,3,8,9 13 21 1 - - - - - - - 2,4 14 11 - - - - - - - - 3,4,8 15 1 1 - - - - - - 2 4 16 - - - - - - - - 1 Matansas. . . . 2 18 - - - - - - - - 1 2,3,9 19 1 5 - - - - - - 1 3,7,8 20 15 1 10 2 - - - - 1 2,3,4,7,8 21 112 79 - - - - - - - 2,3,7,8 22 246 56 1 - - - - - - Jacksonville 2,3,7,8 23 146 5 - - - - - - - 2,3,4,7,8,9 24 70 SO 136 171 93 17 4 1 - 1,2,4,8 25 9 4 16 6 4 1 - - 4 2,3,8 26 1 - *+ 1 -+ o 2 1 - 3 27 - - - - - - - - 1 3 28 - - 1 - 1 - - - - Georgia: Brunswick. . . 3 29 - - 1 - 11 1 - - - 3 30 - - - - - - - - 1 2,3 31 - - - - - - 1 - 2 7,8 32 1 - - - - - - - 1 3,7,8 33 23 9 23 17 12 6 7 - 4 2,3,4,7,8 34 25 1 - - - - - - 1 2,3,7,8 35 20 2 - - - - - - 10 Savannah. . . . 3,7,8 36 70 28 1 - - 1 - - 5 3,3 37 8 24 40 31 15 5 17 7 - 1 3,8 38 - - 4 3 11 3 2 - 1 8 39 - - - ~ - 1 - - - See footnote at the end of the table. Table 3. — Callinectes larvae in plankton samples from Theodore N. Gill cruises. South Atlantic coast of the United States, 1953-54 — Continued Sta- :^umber of larvae State and Cruise Zoea section tion Mega- 1st 2d 3d 4th 5 th 6th 7th 8th o lops South Carolina: Charleston. . 2,3,7 42 - - 2 - 1 - 2 3 21 7,8 43 - - 1 - 1 - - - 1 2,3,8 44 88 16 7 - 1 - - - - 2,3,8 45 323 8 - - - - - - - Cape Remain. 2,3,8 46 69 8 1 1 - - - - - 2,3,7 47 - 2 - - - - - - 1 7 48 - - - - - - - - 1 Long Bay. . . . 3,7 51 - - - - - - - - 3 8 52 - - - - - 1 - - - 2 53 - - - - - - - - 1 2,5,7,8 54 1 - 1 - 2 - - - 4 2,5,7,8 55 1 1 - - - - - - 3 3,7,8 57 8 1 - - - - - - 4 North Carolina: Cape Fear... 3,7,8,9 58 143 4 - - - - - - 8 7,8 59 3 - 7 3 9 1 3 - - 3,8 60 - - - 1 - - - - 1 2,7 61 - - - - - - - - 4 7 62 - - - - - - - - 1 Wilmington. . 2 63 - - - - - - - - 1 3,7 64 - - - - - - - - 2 3 65 - - - - - - - - 3 2,8 66 2 8 - - - - - - 2 3,4,8,9 67 3 3 1 5 1 2 1 - 5 2,7,8 68 7 3 - - 1 - 1 - - Cape Lookout 2,3,7,8 69 3 9 9 4 6 4 2 - 1 3,7,8 70 5 1 2 - - - - - 3 3,8 71 - - - - - - - - 2 3,8 72 - - - - - - 1 - 4 7 73 - - - - - - - - 1 8 74 - - - - - - - 1 - 2,3,8 75 - - - - - - - - 5 7 76 - 1 - - - - - - 2 2,7,8 77 23 3 1 - - - - - 1 Cape Hatteras 8 78 2 3 2 1 - - - - 1 8 79 - - - 1 - - - - - ■"■ Special station 0} 0) CQ F-i 0) a o ■p CO tM ^^ pi M U O tM T3 0) ■a o o ID f-i >» -p •a tt) m cS a) ^1 ?i p cd Ph cd ^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -sf rH CM 1 1 1 rH 1 rH rH 1 1 1 £ p r-t ctf H cd ^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nt NT m 1 1 1 CM 1 r\j St 1 1 H Cm 0) p in en O o lA f^ NI CD ^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I> lA (JN 1 1 1 r-{ 1 1 VD 1 1 1 ^ ■P O in Z s^ rH ■a 1 1 1 H 1 1 1 1 1 O CO 00 1 1 CO Nt 1 1 00 I 1 rH en (M t^ en ■o rn 1 CM n in 1 t 1 CM c^ rn CO i co 1 H 1 1 St r-t St 1 ^ Nf CO nj CM 1 MD Sf rH [> O N^ 1 1 1 1 O rH rH 1 CQ c^J O rH m o CM CM CM rH iH H r\> rH H tx) 00 o [> rrj o CM rH rH 0) o 00 in in 0^ m m en I> en in CM o vD rvi tn (o rH O \0 en rH CM vO vD rH rH -O !> vO CO vD H m O fc ' ' 1 1 1 1 cd 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 CO ^ o o O 0) (U o Cm o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 45 r-i ^ o o u -P :=i cd cd 5 P. cd ch Vi s j3 55 >> CM r> in CJ^ ni !> O CM rn 0^ O NT C^ St rH en ON o M- o rH ON p> • • • ■ • • • • ■ • •a o \0 'S) in in vD -^f vD vD vD in xD vo in vx> ^ ^ in v£> ^D vO vO in 5 en tn in c^ t> CM CM sf en CO ON J- [> rH o r\i r-{ 00 St en c^ o i> 00 . 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