No seasonal succession of crustacean species was apparent in our 

 collecting, though there was a well-defined progression of developmental 

 instars over the sampling period. Crab zoea were present throughout 

 this period, occurring in high densities (to 260/m3) from early June 

 into August. Their numbers had diminished by the September 1 sampling, 

 as was true of the planktonic crustaceans generally. Crab megalopa 

 first appeared in our June 2A collections. They were most abundant in 

 late July and early August, sometimes comprising a majority of the 

 plankton biomass, but could no longer be found by September 1. Small 

 numbers of postlarval crabs ( Ovalipes ocellatus and Cancer irroratus ) 

 were taken from July 20 through September 1. 



Pagurid zoea were encountered from early June through September 1, 

 with peak abundance in July and early August. Pagurid glaucothoe occurred 

 in fair numbers from mid-July into August. Like the bachyuran megalopa, 

 glaucothoe were not found on our final cruise. 



Larval Crangon septemspinosus were present throughout the study, 

 and were slightly more abundant in mid- summer than at other times. 

 Mature C. septemspinosus were fairly well represented in epibenthic 

 samples from May to early August. Neomysis americana were collected on 

 every cruise, with no clearly-defined population peak but several 

 instances of very large numbers per tow. Zoea of Palaemonotes sp. 

 and Thalassinidea were recorded from June onward; their numbers were 

 always small in comparison with the above groups. 



10 



