ALL ABSTRACTS BY AUTHOR ABSTRACTS FOR THIS SESSION
Arctic
Science 2000 - Crossing Borders: Science and Community
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, Sept 21-24 2000
American Association for the Advancement of Science & Yukon Science Institute
Reproductive Events of Golden King Crab Lithodes aequispinus: a Comparison with Red King Crab Paralithodes camtschaticus
Z.N. Hoyt and T.C. Shirley (Juneau Center, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks,11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska; 907-465-6441; e-mail: fsznh@uaf.edu (Hoyt) and Tom.Shirley@uaf.edu)
The golden king crab Lithodes aequispinus is a large lithodid species generally found at depths from 200 to 800 meters in the North Pacific from British Columbia to Japan. The habitat use, reproductive characteristics and distribution of golden king crab are poorly known. They inhabit more rocky substrate and deeper depths than red king crabs Paralithodes camtschaticus, but specific habitat associations have not been reported. Golden king crabs are believed to have aseasonal reproduction and have much larger eggs than those of red king crabs. Red king crabs have seasonal reproduction with hatching and subsequent mating occurring in the spring. L. aequispinus have lecithotrophic larval development, while red king crab larvae are planktotrophic. Recently on the HUG (Habitat Utilization by Golden king crab) cruise in May, 2000, several observations were made with a manned submersible of reproductive events in golden king crabs. During the cruise 17 mating pairs of golden king crabs were observed, video-taped and described from depths of 155 meters to 327 meters in Fredrick Sound, SE Alaska. Ovigerous female red king crabs form aggregations associated with reproduction; however, this behavior has not been reported for golden king crabs. Although aggregations of ovigerous L. aequispinus were not observed, they may exist; evidence of possible "loose aggregations" were made. Several ovigerous and nonovigerous female crabs were also observed. Using our observations and the published literature, comparisons and contrasts of reproductive life history are made between golden king crab and the better understood red king crab. Funded by West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center.