Effects of Diet and Temperature on the Development of Larval Stages of the Red Deepsea Crab Chaceon quinquedens in Laboratory Conditions

The red deepsea crab Chaceon quinquedens supports a commercially valuable fishery on the North Atlantic coast of the United States.  Early life history of the red deepsea crab is poorly known, especially conditions required for larval development. During summer 2014, ovigerous females were obtained from commercial traps owned by the Atlantic Red Crab Company and transported to the NOAA James J. Howard Laboratory in Sandy Hook, NJ.  Crabs were placed in individual flow through containers that allowed collection of newly hatched larvae. First stage zoea larvae were obtained from adult females that hatched in captivity. Larvae were transferred to an experimental diet system consisting of two temperature baths at 9°C and 15°C, with 10 buckets each. Each bucket held 3 containers with 10 larvae for a total of 60 larvae per diet.  Diets were administered daily: rotifers, artemia, algae, and unfed as control. Temperature, survival, and number of molts in each container were recorded daily. Larvae raised at 15°C exhibited faster development but lower survival than those held at 9°C. The rotifer diet produced higher survival and development rates at both temperatures. Understanding developmental requirements will facilitate further research on red crab biology and impacts of climate change.