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Chemical Communication and Behavioural Interaction Between Sexually Mature Male and Female Shore Crabs (Carcinus Maenas)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

S.D. Bamber  and
E. Naylor
S.D. Bamber
Affiliation:
School of Ocean Sciences, Marine Science Laboratories, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY.
E. Naylor
Affiliation:
School of Ocean Sciences, Marine Science Laboratories, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY.
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Extract

A new behavioural bioassay system has been used to examine chemical communication in the crab Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Brachyura) and has demonstrated the sexually and temporally specific nature of a putative sex pheromone. Mature premoult and postmoult females evoked sexual behavioural responses from receptive male crabs. No response was obtained when intermoult female and premoult and postmoult male crabs were tested. Postmoult females continued to be chemically attractive to male crabs with a similar intensity to that of late premoult females for >8 d following moulting, and then with a reduced intensity for >14 d. Male C. maenas successfully entered copula with females >13 d after the female moult.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 76 , Issue 3 , August 1996 , pp. 691 - 699
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1996

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