Some aspects of the biology of the swimming crab, Ovalipes catharus (White, 1843) in Paremata Harbour, New Zealand

Abstract

Ovalipes Rathbun belongs to the family Portunidae, the members of which are commonly known as swimming crabs and have an almost worldwide distribution. Portunids are found in the Pacific, Indian and the Atlantic Oceans and from 52°S latitude (Campbell Island) in the south to a similar latitude in the Northern hemisphere. They occur mostly along the coasts, and are especially abundant in bays and the mouths of rivers. They are usually found in relatively shallow water, and although the natural habitat is salt water, specimens have been found in brackish (Hay, 1904; Sakai, 1965) and fresh water (Churchill, 1919). The general and reproductive biology of species of the genus Ovalipes has been little studied. Most studies on the reproductive biology have been done on the other genera of the family Portunidae. The life history of Callinectes sapidus Rathbun has been documented by Hay (1904) and Churchill (1919), and other studies have been done on the European portunid Carcinus maenas (L.) by Williamson (1903), Harvey (1929), Spalding (1942), Shen (1935), Broekhuysen (1936), Demeusey (1958). The Indo-West Pacific species Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst) was studied by Menon (1952), Prasad and Tampi (1953), Chhapgar (1956), Ryan (1967, 68).