The Blue crab: Callinectes sapidus

Abstract

An essential resource for researchers, students, and managers, this book is the first truly comprehensive reference work on the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. The blue crab is a significant U.S. commercial and recreational species from the Mid-Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. In Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, the blue crab has become a regional symbol, as well as the Bay's most profitable seafood product. During recent years, controversies have arisen over the status of blue crab stocks and how best to manage them. A clear synthesis of scientific information detailing the blue crab's biology and ecology will greatly augment our baseline knowledge about this important crustacean. The following chapters are inside this book: 1. Systematics and evolution. A. B. Williams, pp. 1-21. 2. External anatomy of blue crab larvae. V. S. Kennedy, pp. 23-54. 3. Anatomy of the post-larval blue crab. V. S. Kennedy and L. E. Cronin, pp. 55-131. 4. Muscles and neurons. C. K. Govind, pp. 133-171. 5. The functional anatomy of the circulatory system. I. J. McGaw and C.L. Reiber, pp. 173-195. 6. Molting and growth. S. G. Smith and E. S. Chang, pp. 197-254. 7. Reproduction biology and embryonic development. P.Jivoff, A. H. Hines, and L. S. Quackenbush, pp. 255-298. 8. Diseases, parasites, and other symbionts. J. D. Shields and R. M. Overstreet, pp. 299-417. 9. Osmoregulatory, digestive, and respiratory physiology. D. W. Towle and L.E. Burnett, pp. 419-449. 10. Environmental physiology. R.A. Tankersley and R.B. Forward Jr., pp. 451-483. 11. Responses to toxic chemicals at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal level. M. Brouwer and R. F. Lee, pp. 485-512. 12. Biology of larvae. C. E. Epifanio, pp. 513-533. 13. Ecology of postlarval and young juvenile blue crabs. R. N. Lipcius, D. B. Eggleston, K. L. Heck Jr., R. D. Seitz, and J. van Montfrans, pp. 535-564. 14. Ecology of juvenile and adult blue crabs. A. H. Hines, pp. 565- 654. 15. History of blue crab fisheries on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. V. S. Kennedy, M. Oesterling, and W. A. Van Engel, pp. 655- 709. 16. Population dynamics and fisheries. M.J. Fogarty and R.N. Lipcius, pp. 711-755.