A COMPARISON OF ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION METHODS USING OVA OF THE RED CRAB GERYON QUINQUEDENS SMITH (DECAPODA, BRACHYURA)

The efficacy of culture systems for incubating eggs of the commercially important red crab Geryon quinquedens was investigated. Three artificial systems, two flow-through and one static, were designed and tested over a 60-day incubation period. During the incubation period, death was due primarily to the fungus Lagenidium and other diseased conditions reported herein. Although the long development time of Geryon eggs precluded hatching during the study period, development did proceed to the C+ stage of Meredith (1952). A comparison of egg incubation techniques for decapod crustaceans shows that certain techniques are more successful than others, and the two alternative methods evaluated in the current study are among the most effective.