Molt Stage Determination in the Hawaiian Spiny Lobster Panulirus Marginatus

A rapid technique for determining the different stages in the molt cycle of the Hawaiian spiny lobster Panulirus marginatus is described. Setal development and epidermal retraction in the pleopods are used to define the stages and substages of post-, inter-, and premolt conditions. These molt conditions are designated as stages AB, C, and D, respectively, after Drach (1939). The premolt condition is divided further into stage Da, substages D1′, D1″, and D1′, stage D2, and stage D3–4. The molt stages in P. marginatus thus are generally similar to those in most other species of crustaceans studied.