| Main Ref. | Ruppert, E.E., R.S. Fox and R.D. Barnes, 2004 |
| Mode | dioecism |
| Fertilization | |
| Spawning Frequency | |
| Batch Spawner | No |
| Reproductive Guild |
bearers External brooders |
| Description of life cycle and mating behavior | At spring adult crabs concentrate in shallow water for larvae hatching, molting, and then pairing and laying new eggs on pleopods. Larvae hatching from eggs (protozoa and zoea) live in the pelagic zone, as a rule, for more than two months. During this time the larvae manage to molt four times and turn into a glaucothoe, which develops all legs already, claws, shell of cephalothorax is covered with thorns. Glaucothoe passes to bottom existence. After a month glaucothoe molts and turns into juvenile of red king crab. Three years later juvenile leave the thicket of algae and move to sandy seabed. Crabs found in any pod are 24 and 69 mm in CL. Crabs begin to gather in pods and make extended migrations (Ref. 121585). Complete larval development requires an average of 460 degree days (Ref. 121587). The optimum temperature for the development of zoea is about 3 °C, the development of the late stages occurs at about 8 °C (Ref. 121588). |
| Search for more references on reproduction | Scirus |