Circatidal Moulting Rhythm in The Shore Crab Carcinus Maenas

Abstract

Late premoult females from precopula pairs of male and female Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Brachyura) moulted at times of expected high tide in constant conditions in the laboratory. The data presents for the first time evidence of endogenous, circatidal (~12.4 h) moulting rhythms in a crustacean. Studies on the temporal patterns of moulting in crustaceans have elucidated rhythms of seasonal (annual or biannual), lunar (29·4 d), semilunar (14·7 d) and diel (24 h) periodicities (see Conan, 1985; Fernandez et al., 1994). Examples in the literature of so-called ‘tidal’ rhythmicity of moulting given by Conan (1985) are more correctly referred to as semilunar or neap/spring patterns. There appear to be no reported examples of true tidal (12·4 h) moulting rhythms. Also there is very little evidence in the literature that moulting rhythms phased to geophysical cycles are controlled endogenously. Most studies have been carried out in the field or under L:D cycles in the laboratory and only a few have been undertaken with animals in constant conditions (see Fowler et al., 1971; Bishop & Herrnkind, 1976; Nicol, 1989; Fernandez et al., 1994). Conan (1985) has reported moulting rhythms of circamonthly, circatidal (=circasemilunar) and circadian periodicities but his use of the prefix ‘circa’ is unusual since it more correctly describes free-running rhythms in constant conditions, not environmentally driven rhythms as in the examples quoted. In the present study we sought to determine whether moulting in the shore crab Carcimts maenas (L.) was tidally patterned and endogenous. Over a period of several days in the summer of 1991 large numbers of premoult female Carcinus maenas were obtained by searching for specimens associated with males in precopular pairs