PERKINS: EGG LOSS DURING INCUBATION 



80 90 100 MO 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 

 CARAPACE LENGTH (MM) 



Figure 1. — Regression lines of egg counts versus cara- 

 pace lengths for October, April, and June. 



variation in the extent of development of eggs 

 from one year to the next during the same month 

 has been noted, and from canyon to canyon dur- 

 ing the same year. These variations among 

 years and areas are attributed to small differ- 

 ences in water temperature, while the consistent 

 year to year reproductive periods are attributed 

 to the relatively constant thermal environment. 



While counts obtained from ovarian or newly 

 extruded eggs testify to the reproductive poten- 

 tial of a female, counting eggs that are close to 

 hatching give more reliable estimates of a fe- 

 male's potential contribution of larvae to the 

 population. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



I wish to thank Mrs. Gwyneth M. Kensler for 

 translating the papers by P. Brunei; the captain 

 and crew of the MV Stanley M. Fisher for sup- 

 plying me with some of the berried females; 

 Jack Mahoney and Paul Swain of the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service Office of Statistical 

 Services, Gloucester, Mass., for assistance in ob- 

 taining some of the samples. 



LITERATURE CITED 



BoYAR, H. C, AND R. A. Clifford. 



1967. An automatic device for counting dry fish 

 eggs. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 96: 361-363. 



Brunel, p. 



1962. Nouvelles observations sur la biologie et la 

 bionietrie du crabe araigne'e Chionoecetea opilio 

 (Fabr.). Sta. Biol. Mar. Grande-Riviere, Que'. 

 Rapp. Annu. 1961, p. 63-72. 



1963. Troisieme serie d'observations sur la biologie 

 et la biometrie du crabe-araigne'e Chionoecetes 

 opilio (Fabr.). Sta. Biol. Mar. Grande-Riviere, 

 Que'. Rapp. Annu. 1962, p. 91-100. 



CoLTON, J B., Jr., R. R. Marak, S. R. Nickerson, and 

 P. R. Stoddard. 



1968. Physical, chemical, and biological observa- 

 tions on the continental shelf. Nova Scotia to Long 

 Island, 1964-66. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Data Rep. 

 23, 189 p. 



Saila, S. B., J. M. Flowers, and J. T. Hughes. 



1969. Fecundity of the American lobster, Homarus 

 nmericaniis. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 98: 537-539. 



Skud, B. E. 



1969. Giant lobsters. In F. E. Firth (editor). The 

 encyclopedia of marine resources, p. 353-357. Van 

 Nostrand Reinhold, New York. 

 Templeman, W. 



1940. Embryonic developmental rates and egg-lay- 

 ing of Canadian lobsters. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 

 5: 71-83. 



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