Reproduction and life history strategy of the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus

Abstract

Hermit crabs use gastropod shells to protect their bodies and developing eggs; an inadequate supply of shells of the appropriate size will, therefore, adversely affect their growth, fecundity and longevity. Since the supply of shells is commonly limited, mechanisms that help to reduce these adverse effects will be selectively advantageous. In Pagurus bernhardus it is suggested that two mechanisms have evolved in this respect: larval settlement is encouraged in the littoral zone where gastropod species are diverse and numerous and where the youngest hermits will find growth potentially unrestricted; and females breed within their first year of life and at a size substantially below that which could be attained in the shells commonly available to them. This ‘precocious’ breeding is suggested to be an adaptation enabling hermits to overcome the problems of shell-limitation, since it frees females of the need to attain a specific age or size before reproducing - a situation which would be perilous when large shells are scarce. Males of a similar age are freed from competition for the larger shells as a result of this strategy, since the growth of the females is suppressed while they are ovigerous.

The growth and reproductive biology of the coral gall crab, Hapalocarcinus marsupialis Stimpson, 1859 (Crustacea: Cryptochiridae) from Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt

“…Varadarajan and Subramoniam (1982) used ovigerous females for studying the breeding of the tropical hermit crab, Clibanarius clibanarius. Lancaster (1990) used the frequencies of ovigerous females in demarcation breeding season of the hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus. The presence of H. marsupialis ovigerous females with different developmental incubated egg stages throughout the year may indicate frequency of spawning during the same breeding season.…”

Population and reproductive features of the western Atlantic hermit crab Pagurus criniticornis (Anomura, Paguridae) from Anchieta Island, southeastern Brazil

“…According to LANCASTER (1990), early sexual maturity seems to be a tendency among hermit crabs, which may be determined by interespecific competition and shell availability. Similar pattern of sexual maturity was observed to Pagurus annulipes (Stimpson, 1862) (CARLON & EBERSOLE, 1995), Diogenes pugilator (Roux, 1829) (MANJÓN-CABEZA & GARCÍA-RASO, 1999), Paguristes tortugae Schmitt, 1933(MANTELATTO & SOUSA, 2000 and Pagurus brevidactylus (Stimpson, 1859) .…”

Impacts of Large Male-Selective Harvesting on Reproduction: Illustration with Large Decapod Crustacean Resources

“…environmental conditions. In ectothermic organisms, physiological activities often depend on temperature (Begon et al 1990), and water temperature is one of the most important direct causes of the start of the reproductive season in aquatic invertebrates (Giese 1959;Lancaster 1990). Indeed, when spiny king crabs are reared in tanks containing seawater that is slightly warmer than that in nature, the reproductive season is from mid-March to mid-April (Sato et al unpublished data).…”