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<p>The mud crab (<i>Scylla paramamosain</i>) is shifting from traditional pond farming to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), demanding a better understanding of its molting, mating, and gonadal development under controlled conditions. In a 90-day RAS trial, 36 females and 18 males were used; females were randomly assigned to mated or control groups. Using 24‑h video surveillance, morphological measurements, and anatomical sampling, we characterized reproductive molting and mating behaviors and their effects on gonadal development. Key findings include the following: (1) 20–25&#xa0;days before molting, pale black spots on the swimming legs turned reddish‑brown, accompanied by abdominal flap color changes and setal elongation; females stopped feeding and remained inactive 2–4&#xa0;days pre‑molt. (2) Molting proceeded through carapace‑abdomen splitting, water uptake, and sequential limb extrusion, significantly increasing body weight and carapace size. (3) Males guarded females for 5–120&#xa0;h before molting; after female ecdysis, a 5–30-min resistance phase was followed by copulation lasting 10&#xa0;min to 50&#xa0;h. (4) Mating strongly promoted ovarian development: mated females reached mature Stage V at 40–50&#xa0;days post‑molt (GSI 11.40 ± 0.92%), whereas non‑mated females only attained Stage II–III by day 34. These results demonstrate that reproductive molting has clear morphological and behavioral indicators, and that mating is a critical extrinsic trigger for ovarian maturation. This work provides a scientific basis for optimizing reproductive management and artificial breeding of <i>S. paramamosain</i> in RAS.</p>

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Preliminary observations on reproductive molting, mating behavior, and gonadal development in mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) under recirculating aquaculture system conditions

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月28日

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  • Dongping Zhou,
  • Xiaosong Jiang,
  • Wenjing Sun,
  • Xiaoyi Zhao,
  • Min Yang,
  • Likun Xu,
  • Minghao Luo,
  • Jiao Qin

摘要

The mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) is shifting from traditional pond farming to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), demanding a better understanding of its molting, mating, and gonadal development under controlled conditions. In a 90-day RAS trial, 36 females and 18 males were used; females were randomly assigned to mated or control groups. Using 24‑h video surveillance, morphological measurements, and anatomical sampling, we characterized reproductive molting and mating behaviors and their effects on gonadal development. Key findings include the following: (1) 20–25 days before molting, pale black spots on the swimming legs turned reddish‑brown, accompanied by abdominal flap color changes and setal elongation; females stopped feeding and remained inactive 2–4 days pre‑molt. (2) Molting proceeded through carapace‑abdomen splitting, water uptake, and sequential limb extrusion, significantly increasing body weight and carapace size. (3) Males guarded females for 5–120 h before molting; after female ecdysis, a 5–30-min resistance phase was followed by copulation lasting 10 min to 50 h. (4) Mating strongly promoted ovarian development: mated females reached mature Stage V at 40–50 days post‑molt (GSI 11.40 ± 0.92%), whereas non‑mated females only attained Stage II–III by day 34. These results demonstrate that reproductive molting has clear morphological and behavioral indicators, and that mating is a critical extrinsic trigger for ovarian maturation. This work provides a scientific basis for optimizing reproductive management and artificial breeding of S. paramamosain in RAS.