the settlement occurs at the base of the continental 

 slope as suggested by Wigley et aL (1975) and Kelly 

 et al. ( 1 98 2) , upslope migration to warmer water must 

 occur quickly or else natural growth rates would be 

 very slow. 

 Our growth equations predict that red crabs would 

 enter the fishery (114 mm; Haefner 1978) in 5.3 yr 

 at 15° C or in 6.0 yr at 9°-12°C. Maximum size of 

 males is about 150 mm, and this would take 7.0 yr at 

 15°C, while females would require 6.5 yr to reach 

 their maximum carapace width of 140 mm. However, 

 there may be gender-related differences in growth 

 rates, and our analysis does not take these into 

 account (we were unable to determine gender in the 

 juveniles). In any case, growth under natural con- 

 ditions is probably somewhat greater than that in 

 captivity (Winget et al. 1 9 7 6) , so our values represent 

 maximum ages for crabs entering the fishery or 

 reaching maximum size (Table 1). Crabs in our inves- 

 tigation reached a size of 20 mm in five postlarval 

 molts at both 12° and 1 5° C. This, in combination with 

 Haefner's (1978) results, suggests that the species 

 undergoes 18-20 postlarval molts before reaching its 

 apparent maximum size. 



Table 1. —Predicted age (yr) of male red crabs, 

 Gerryon quinquedens, entering fishery or reach- 

 ing apparent maximum size. Based on labora- 

 tory measurements of growth of juvenile crabs. 



Kelley, P., S. D. Sulkin, and W. F. Van Heukelem. 



1982. A dispersal model for larvae of the deep sea red crab 

 Geryon quinquedens based upon behavioral regulation of 

 vertical migration in the hatching stage. Mar. BioL (BerL) 

 72:35-43. 



Perkins, H. C. 



1973. The larval stages of the deep sea red crab, Geryon quin- 

 quedens Smith, reared under laboratory conditions 

 (Decapoda: Branchyryncha). Fish. BulL, U.S. 71:69-82. 



ROSOWSKI, M. C. 



1979. The effect of temperature on growth and dispersal of 

 larvae of Geryon quinquedens Smith (Brachyura: Ger- 

 yonidae). M.S. Thesis, Univ. Delaware, Newark, 81 p. 



Scelzo, M. A., and A. Valenttni. 



1974. Presencia de Geryon quinquedens Smith en aguas del 

 Oceano Atlantico Sudoccidental (Decapoda, Brachyura, 

 Geryonidae). Physis (Buenos Aires) Sect. A, 33(87):557- 

 567. 



Simpson, A. C. 



1969. A contribution to the bionomics of the lobster 

 (Homarus vulgaris Edwards) on the coast of North 

 Wales. Fish. Invest, Minist Agric. Fish. Food (G.B.) Ser. 

 2, 23(7):l-28. 



Sulkin, S. D., and W. F. Van Heukelem. 



1980. Ecological and evolutionary significance of nutritional 

 flexibility of planktotrophic larvae of the deep sea red 

 crab, Geryon quinquedens and the stone crab Menippe mer- 

 cenaria. Mar. EcoL Prog. Ser. 2:91-95. 



Tagatz, M. E. 



1968. Growth of juvenile blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus 



Rathbun, in the St John's River, Florida. Fish. BulL, U.S. 



67:281-288. 

 Wigley, R. L., R. B. Theroux, and R E. Murray. 



1975. Deep-sea red crab, Geryon quinquedens, survey off 

 northeastern United States. Mar. Fish. Rev. 37(8):1-21. 



Winget, R. R., C. E. Epifanio, T. Runnels, and P. Austin. 



1976. Effects of diet and temperature on growth and mor- 

 tality of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, maintained in a 

 recirculating culture system. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 

 66:29-52. 



Acknowledgments 



This work was supported by grants from the NOAA 

 Office of Sea Grant to the University of Delaware and 

 to the University of Maryland (R/F-15). We thank 

 Cynthia Tynan, Christoper Valenti, and Robert E. 

 Miller for technical assistance. 



Literature Cited 



Haefner, P. A., Jr. 



1977. Aspects of the biology of the Jonah crab, Cancer 

 borealis Stimpson, 1859 in the mid- Atlantic Bight J.Nat. 

 Hist. 11:303-320. 



1978. Seasonal aspects of the biology, distribution and rela- 

 tive abundance of the deep-sea red crab, Geryon quin- 

 quedens Smith, in the vicinity of the Norfolk Canyon, 

 Western North Atlantic. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 

 68:49-62. 



Hewett, C. J. 



1974. Growth and molting in the common lobster (Homarus 

 vulgaris Milne-Edwards). J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 

 54:379-391. 



W. Van Heukelem 

 Horn Point Environmental Laboratory 

 Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies 

 University of Maryland 

 Cambridge, MD 21613 



M. C. Christman 



College of Marine Studies 



University of Delaware 



Lewes, DE 19958 



Present address: 982 Potomac St 



Arlington, VA 22205 



College of Marine Studies 

 University of Delaware 

 Lewes, DE 19958 



Horn Point Environmental Laboratory 

 Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies 

 University of Maryland 

 Cambridge, MD 21613 



C. E. Epifanio 



S. D. Sulkin 



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