Metecdysial Molt Staging and Changes in the Cuticle in the Crayfish Orconectes Sanborni (Faxon) 1)

Abstract

METECDYSIAL MOLT STAGING AND CHANGES IN THE CUTICLE IN THE CRAYFISH ORCONECTES SANBORNI (FAXON) 1) BY J. ROSS STEVENSON Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44240, U.S.A. INTRODUCTION It is well known that every crustacean periodically secretes a new exoskeleton and sheds the old. This cycle of repeated secretion and shedding was divided by Drach ( 1939) into a series of stages that can be recognized by external examination of the animal. Drach developed his criteria for recognizing the different stages by a study of several brachyuran decapods. Some of these criteria can be applied directly to