Metacarcinus magister (Dana, 1852)

Dungeness crab

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050

This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.

Metacarcinus magister AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

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Metacarcinus magister

Canada country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: highly commercial | Ref: MacKenzie, C.J.A., 2010
Aquaculture: never/rarely | Ref:
Regulations: no regulations | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Known from Pacific Northwest region (Ref. 94194). C: Refs. 93817, 93895, 93916; R: Ref. 94194.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.ncr.dfo.ca/home_e.htm
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Lamb, A., D. Gibbs and C. Gibbs, 2011
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Dungeness crab, ... more

Classification / Names आम नाम | उपशब्द | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS

> Decapoda (Lobster, shrimp and crabs) > Cancridae (rock crabs)

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range पारिस्थितिकी

; खारा; गहराई सीमा 0 - 360 m (संदर्भ 865). Temperate; 3°C - 19°C (संदर्भ 104779), preferred 9°C (संदर्भ 107945); 61°N - 23°N, 179°W - 110°W

Distribution देश | ऐफ ऐ ओ क्षेत्र | Ecosystems | संयोग | भूमिका

Eastern Pacific: Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Magdalena Bay, Mexico. Subtropical to boreal.

Length at first maturity / आकार / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 10 - ? cm Max length : 22.5 cm CW पुल्लिंग / अलिंग; (संदर्भ 865); 16 cm CW (female); अधिकतम सूचित उम्र: 10 वर्षो (संदर्भ 104779)

Maximum length for females from Ref. 104779. Epibenthic in estuaries and nearshore environments (Ref. 104211). It is found on soft bottoms in very low intertidal areas to a depth of 360 meters (Ref. 865). Found on seagrasses (Refs. 104216, 106869). Juveniles inhabit and forage on estuaries, particularly in oyster reefs, oyster beds (Ref. 104211, 113901), and eelgrass (Ref. 104211).

Life cycle and mating behavior परिपक्व अवधि | पुनरुत्पत्ति | मछलीऔ का अंडे देना | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Life cycle: The fertilized egg hatches into prezoeae larva and molts into zoea an hour after. The larvae undergo five zoeal stages before molting into megalopae. The megalopae molts into juvenile stage before further molting (at most 12 times) into adult stage (Ref. 104779). Mating behavior: Precopulatory courtship ritual is common (through olfactory and tactile cues); usually indirect sperm transfer (Ref. 833). Males locate premolt females through a pheremonal homing system. Male holds the female in an embrace for at most 7 days prior to the female's molting. An hour after molting, copulation occurs through insertion of male gonopods into the spermathecae of the female to deposit sperm (indirect sperm transfer). The female may then be embraced again for 2 days. Pre- and post-mating embraces are done to protect females from predation, aside from insuring mating success. Mating occurs in estuaries but spawning takes place offshore (Ref. 104779). Crabs can store and utilize sperm for at least 2 years. Eggs are fertilized as they pass through the spermathecae during extrusion (Ref. 104787).