PREDATION ON BLUE-CRABS, CALLINECTES-SAPIDUS, BY STARFISH ASTERIAS-FORBESI

Blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, burrowed into the sand-silt bottom at a site in the Mystic River estuary, Connecticut, at temperatures belo w 5 degrees C. Crabs were torpid at these low temperatures. Starfish, Asterias forbesi, were observed to prey on burrowed crabs. The proport ion of crabs preyed upon increased as water temperatures declined thro ugh the winter, reaching up to 81% of crabs observed during a single d ive. There was no significant difference in the size or sex of crabs p reyed on by starfish and those which were not preyed upon. Starfish th at were collected preying on crabs were not significantly different in size than those found on the surrounding bottom. Low temperatures, wh ich affect the physiology of normally motile megafauna, can greatly al ter predator-prey dynamics.