CULTURE OF THE WEST INDIAN SPIDER CRAB (Mithrax spinosissimus) AT LOS ROQUES, VENEZUELA

Spider crabs, several of which support commercial fisheries, possess biological characteristics which make certain of them potential candidates for mariculture. The giant red spider crab of Caribbean shallaw waters, fished in small numbers and marketed locally, may be one such candidate. Berried females of Mithrax spinosissimus were collected in Antillean fish traps on sandy bottoms at depths of 3–7 m in IDS Roques, Venezuela. They were kept in laboratory tanks with frequent water changes and an ample supply of algae for food. Larvae obtained from natural hatchings were reared in separate tanks prepared with filtered water and phytoplankton. Observations on six hatches from February to August, 1976, yielded similar results: hatching to megalops in 60–72 hours: megalops to juvenile in 130–140 hours. Juveniles were reared on algae and commercial chow in tanks and in floating cages lined with 363 μm screen cloth. Juveniles ranged in length from 3.1–4.7 mm after six weeks and when maintained in aquaria on a diet of algae for seven months continued to show rapid growth. Adults kept in tanks appeared to stay healthy and grew on a diet of algae, though they consumed sessile coelenterates offered to them. Rearing techniques, mariculture potential and ecology of this species are discussed.