Laboratory behavior of adolescent and adult males of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) (Brachyura: Majidae) mated noncompetitively and competitively with primiparous females

In the laboratory, virgin females of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) were placed singly with one or two males to investigate mating behavior. Physiologically mature males, both adolescent and adult mated with females. Typically, matings comprised a precopulatory period, one or more copulations, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 1997-02, Vol.54 (2), p.239-248
Main Authors: SAINTE-MARIE, B, SEVIGNY, J.-M, GAUTHIER, Y
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal ethology
Biological and medical sciences
Brachyura
Crabs
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
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Summary:In the laboratory, virgin females of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) were placed singly with one or two males to investigate mating behavior. Physiologically mature males, both adolescent and adult mated with females. Typically, matings comprised a precopulatory period, one or more copulations, and a postcopulatory period during which the female extruded eggs. Some females copulated after oviposition. In noncompetitive mating, adult males of 40-60 mm carapace width had repeated but brief copulations, while adult males of 120-140 mm carapace width had one long copulation. In pairs of competing adult males, large body size was an advantage both in taking over a female from a rival and in preventing female takeover by a rival. In competitions between an adult male and a larger adolescent male, the adult was more likely to dispossess his rival or prevent takeover. The variance in mass of ejaculate stored by females was explained (98%) by total copulatory time and number of copulations. Females with two mates obtained more copulations and larger ejaculate stores than females with one mate, suggesting that interannual variability in ejaculate stores reported for wild females is related to the level of male sexual competition.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/f96-287