Summary Table of Stone Crab, (Menippe mercenaria) life history for the Gulf of Mexico. Associations and interactions with environmental and habitat variables are listed with citations. Trophic relationships Habitat Associations and Interactions Life Stage Season Location Temp(oC) Salinity(ppt) Oxygen Depth(m) Food Predators Habitat Selection Growth Mortality Production Eggs Spring - fall; Eggs brooded Lower limit for Ovigerous Subtidal to Embryogenesis ovigerous externally spawning: 20- females found in shallow shelf variable, 9-14 females year- beneath female 22oC; optimum wild from 28-36 days round in south abdomen ovarian develop: ppt.; ovigerous Florida, but (160,000- 28oC; ovigerous females used in frequency is 1,000,000 per females collected larval low in winter egg mass) in wild between development months and ovigerous 19o-33oC studies held at spawning females subtidal salinities from females are to shallow shelf 30-32 ppt smaller across distributional range Citation 2,3,13 4,5,6,9,27 2,30,14 7,8,14,31 4,27 9,10 Larvae Spring-fall; Nearshore Highest survival Highest survival Planktonic Smaller Primary Growth through Presumed to be (5 zoeal stages) year-round in marine in lab studies in lab studies in zooplankton; plankton-feeding 5 zoeal stages high in the wild; south Florida; environments from 28 to 30oC salinities at or lab reared carnivores from 14-27 days high in first and based on above 30ppt. specimens thrive including adult in lab; duration fifth zoeal seasonal on Artemia filter-feeding of zoeal stages stages in lab abundance of fish, larval fish, strongly reared larvae ovigerous other dependent on females zooplankton temperature expected frequency low in winter months Citation 2,3,31 7 7,8,31 7,8,31 5,12 7,8,10,11,12,31 5,11,12 7,8,10,31 3,7 -1- Summary Table of Stone Crab, (Menippe mercenaria) cont. Trophic relationships Habitat Associations and Interactions Life Stage Season Location Temp(oC) Salinity(ppt) Oxygen Depth(m) Food Predators Habitat Selection Growth Mortality Production Post Larvae Spring-fall; Highest survival Highest survival Lab reared Duration of Presumed to be (1) megalopal year-round in in lab studies in lab studies in specimens fed megalopal stage high in the wild; stage south Florida; from 28 to 30oC salinities at or Artemia and 1-2 weeks high in based on above 30ppt minced conch laboratory seasonal reared larvae abundance of ovigerous females expected frequency low in winter months Citation 2,3,13 7,8,31 7,8,31 7,8,10,31 7,8 3,7 Postsettlement Year-round, Nearshore Broad Broad salinity Nearshore Opportunistic Other xanthids; Seagrass beds, In lab studies Natural mortality Juveniles (under peak settlement shallow waters temperature tolerance, 5- marine waters carnivore, some grouper, black emergent live mean growth thought to be 10 mm CW) in fall over range of tolerance, 8-38oC 40ppt. In herbivory noted sea bass and rock, sponges, per molt of 18%, high due to adult occurrence in wild; in laboratory other large fish gorgonians, molt increment predation in Gulf of Mexico; laboratory studies lower- deep channels; and intermolt nearshore studies lower- limit threshold for areas with high period marine waters limit threshold for survival between densities of increasing with off the Ten survival between 10 and 15ppt. postsettlement size, Thousand 5 and 10oC juveniles developmental Islands and (recruitment time from first Cedar Key are areas) include crab to 10 mm high frequency Cedar Key and CW about 12 settlement areas nearshore months; in field marine waters studies off the Ten estimates of time Thousand from first crab to Islands 10 mm CW from 6-12 months Citation 13,18 13 7,15,16 7,13,17 13 3,5,18 *1,3,12,19 13,20 21,22 3 *Study conducted in zone of hybridization between Menippe adina and M. mercenaria. -2- Summary Table of Stone Crab, (Menippe mercenaria) cont. Trophic relationships Habitat Associations and Interactions Life Stage Season Location Temp(oC) Salinity(ppt) Oxygen Depth(m) Food Predators Habitat Selection Growth Mortality Production Late Juveniles Year-round Nearshore Broad Broad salinity Nearshore Opportunistic Other xanthids; Seagrass beds, Intermolt period Natural mortality shallow waters temperature tolerance, 5 to marine waters carnivore, some grouper, black emergent live approximately 40 thought to be over range of tolerance, 8 to 40ppt in wild; in herbivory noted sea bass and rock, sponges, days but high due to adult occurrence 38oC in wild; in lab studies other large fish gorgonians, increases with predation in Gulf of Mexico; laboratory lowest survival deep channels; size; in lab marine waters studies lowest at 5ppt at areas with high studies growth off Everglades survival at extremes of densities of per molt under Bay and Cedar temperature temperature (5 postsettlement 15ppt in Key are high extremes (5 and and 35oC), juveniles juveniles above frequency 35oC) in low optimum survival (recruitment 10 mm CW; size settlement areas salinity (5ppt). at and above areas) include at age one Optimum survival 15ppt at Cedar Key and approximately at 25oC over temperatures marine waters 30-40 mm; range of salinity from 15 to 35oC off transition from from 5 to 35% EvergladesCity juvenile to adult form occurs at 35 mm CW Citations 13,18 13 15,16,32 13,17,32 1,3 3,5,18 1,3,12,19 13,20 13,18,23 3 Adults Year-round Greatest Eurythermal, Euryhaline, most Tolerant of Subtidal to Opportunistic Octopus, horse Inhabit burrows Growth in males Instantaneous Highest fishery abundance in from 8-32oC; in abundant in reduced shallow shelf, carnivore conchs, sea in Thalassia is greater and fishing and production Gulf of Mexico laboratory salinities dissolved occasionally turtle, cobia, flats, rocky or more variable natural mortality from the on continental studies lowest approaching full oxygen; can intertidal grouper shell bottom, than in females; rates are Everglades- shelf from survival at 5oC, seawater; in remain alive sand, mud, males develop thought to be Florida Bay Naples to Key highest survival laboratory from 17-21 artificial reef legal claws and high; estimated region; fishery West, FL; from 15 to 35oC studies no hours in rubble enter fishery at total mortality in the Big Bend northward range survival at 5 and hypoxic smaller CW than rates (Z) of 1.47 region in Gulf to 15ppt at low conditions; do females; yr-1 for males prosecuted in Homosassa, FL temperature oxygen growth greater than 118 zone of (5 oC), highest consumption influenced by mm CW and 0.70 hybridization. survival at and averages 0.51 temperature and yr-1 for females Production 3 above 15ppt cm 02/g/hr. by ovarian above 104 mm dependent on from 15 to 35oC development/em CW maintenance bryogenesis in of coastal females; males nursery live to about 6 grounds, years old and seagrass females to about beds, and 7 years old mangrove forests Citation 3,5,13,18 3,9,20 *1,32 12,32 24,25 3,26,27 *1,3 3,5 3 13,28,29,30 13,33 3,13 *Study conducted in zone of hybridization between Menippe adina and M. mercenaria. -3- Stone Crab References 1. Bender, E.S. 1971. Studies of the life history of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say), in the Cedar Key area. Master's Thesis. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. 110pp. 2. Sullivan, J.R. 1979. The stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say), in the southwest Florida fishery. Florida Dept. of Natural Resources, Fla. Mar. Res. Publ. 36.37 pp. 3. Bert, T.M., R.E. Warner, and L.D. Kessler. 1978. The biology and Florida fishery of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say), with emphasis on southwest Florida. University of Florida, Sea Grant Technical Paper Number 9. 82 pp. 4. Wilber, D.H. 1989. Reproductive biology and distribution of stone crabs (Xanthidae, Menippe) in the hybrid zone on the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 52:235-244. 5. Costello, T., T.M. Bert, D.G. Cartano, G. Davis, G. Lyon, C. Rockwood, J. Stevely, J. Tashiro, W.L. Trent, D. Turgeon, and J. Zuboy. 1979. Fishery management plan for the stone crab fishery of the Gulf of Mexico. Federal Register 44(65):19444-19496. 6. Noe, C.D. 1967. Contribution to the life history of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say), with emphasis on the reproductive cycle. Master's Thesissssssss. University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. 55 pp. 7. Brown, S.D., T.M. Bert, W.A. Tweedle, J.J. Torres, and W.J. Lindberg. 1992. The effects of temperature and salinity on survival and development of early life stage Florida stone crabs, Menippe mercenaria (Say), J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 157:115-136. 8. Ong, K.S. and J.D. Costlow, 1970. The effect of salinity and temperature on the larval development of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say), reared in the laboratory. Ches. Sci. 11(1):16-29. 9. Binford, R. 1913. The germ-cells and the process of fertilization in the carb Menippe mercenaria. J. Morph. 24(2):147-201. 10. Porter, H.J. 1960. Zoeal satges of the stone crab, Menippe mercenaria (Say). Ches. Sci. 1(3-4):168-177. 11. Mootz, C.A. and C.E. Epifanio. 1974. An energy budget for Menippe mercenaria larvae fed Artemia nauplii. Biol. Bull. 146:44-55. 12. Lindberg, W.J. and M.J. Marshall. 1984. Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirement of coastal fishes and invertebrates (South Florida), stone crab. FWS/OBS-82/11.21.17 pp. 13. Bert, T.J., J. Tilmant, J. Dodrill, and G.E. Davis. 1986. Aspects of the population dynamics and biology of the stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) in Everglades and Biscayne National Parks as determined by trappings.