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1 Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; and The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
1. Loss of 6 to 8 pereiopods or chelipeds triggers precocious molts in a number of marine crabs including the green crab, Carcinus maenas, the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, and the fiddler crabs, Uca pugnax and U. pugilator, but not in the spider crab, Libinia emarginata. Mortality rates are negligible compared to those of animals induced to molt by eyestalk removal.
2. Precocious molts call be elicited in the land crab, Gecarcinus lateralis, by the loss of 5 to 8 appendages (pereiopods and chelipeds) but the loss of all 10 appendages inhibits molting. Loss of a cheliped which in Gecarcinus may have a mass ten times greater than a pereiopod is no more effective than loss of a walking leg.
3. The size of the regenerates formed in Gecarcinus is reduced by one-third from normal size when front 1 to 6 pereiopods are lost, and by one-half when 8 limbs are regenerated.
4. When one or more partially regenerated limbs is removed before a certain critical time in the premolt period (Stage D0?) the animal re-regenerates replacement appendage(s). This results in significant lengthening of the interval before ecdysis occurs.
Note added in proof: Dr. George D. Bittner (personal communication) finds that in the crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, cutting of the nerves to 6 pereiopods is effective in shortening the interval between two ecdyses. In this species nerves to the pereiopods can be cut without the induction of autotomy.
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  X. Yu, E. S. Chang, and D. L. Mykles Characterization of Limb Autotomy Factor-Proecdysis (LAFpro), Isolated From Limb Regenerates, That Suspends Molting in the Land Crab Gecarcinus lateralis Biol. Bull., June 1, 2002; 202(3): 204 - 212. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 P. M. Hopkins Limb Regeneration in the Fiddler Crab, Uca pugilator: Hormonal and Growth Factor Control Integr. Comp. Biol., June 1, 2001; 41(3): 389 - 398. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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D. L. Mykles Interactions Between Limb Regeneration and Molting in Decapod Crustaceans Integr. Comp. Biol., June 1, 2001; 41(3): 399 - 406. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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