Intermolt durations of captive juvenile and adolescent male tanner crabs Chionoecetes bairdi

This project examined the effect of temperature on intermolt durations of j uvenile and adolescent male Chionoecetes bairdi Rathbun with carapace width s (CW) of 11 to 105 mm. Juveniles were identified by the absence of spermat ophores and adolescents by their presence, The relationship between male ma ximum CW and inter-molt duration exhibited a linear relationship to juvenil es described by the equation: Intermolt period (degree-days) = 7.9 (CW mm) + 272; r(2) = 0.53. As males began to produce spermatophores at about 55 mi n CW intermolt durations increased and the analogous equation was Intermolt period (degree-days) = 7.6 (CW min) + 1,215; r(2) = 0.14. A 55 mm CW sperm atophore bearing male took about 2.5 times longer to molt than a similar si zed juvenile.