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Biol Bull 112: 34-42. (February 1957)
© 1957 Marine Biological Laboratory
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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE GILL AREA OF CRABS

I. E. GRAY 1

1 Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, N. C.

1. A comparative study has been made of the size of the gill areas of 16 species of brachyuran crabs from six families and representing land, intertidal, and wholly aquatic habitats.

2. The size of the gill area is correlated with both habitat and metabolic activity.

3. There is a tendency toward reduction in gill area per unit of weight in going from wholly aquatic to intertidal to land species.

4. Among wholly aquatic species the active, fast moving crabs (portunids) have greater gill area than do the sluggish bottom-dwelling species (Libinia).

5. Both the gill area and the number of gill platelets per unit of weight, relatively high in very young crabs, decrease as the crabs grow older.

6. Apparent sexual dimorphism in gill area is a function of weight differences between the sexes.






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Copyright © 1957 by the Marine Biological Laboratory.