BURMEISTER, A., B. SAINTE-MARIE, 2010. Pattern and causes of a temperature-dependent gradient of size at terminal moult in Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) along West Greenland. Polar Biol., 33(6): 775-788.

[Résumé disponible seulement en anglais]
Geographic variation in size of male and female snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) was investigated along the west coast of Greenland to test the hypothesis that size at terminal molt (=adulthood) is temperature dependent. A total of 81,490 snow crabs were collected in small-mesh traps in Disko Bay (68–69°N) and six sites near Sisimiut (66–67°N) in May and June from 2000 to 2005. Average bottom temperature over the study period ranged from -0.8 to 3.2 deg;C across the sampling sites. Mean carapace width was positively correlated with temperature in both sexes, a pattern often described as a converse Jame’s cline. We infer that temperature per se is the causative factor and discount season length, food availability or density as ultimate causes of the cline. Temperature effects on body size of crabs apparently result from a change in the number of instars before terminal molt. This interpretation is supported by size frequency analysis showing that in general crabs were larger at instar in a colder than in a warmer site. We briefly discuss the implications of our findings for population reproductive potential and the effectiveness of a fixed legal size limit in protecting some adult males from exploitation at different temperature regimes.©2010 Springer-Verlag

RADULOVICI, A.E., B. SAINTE-MARIE, F. DUFRESNE, 2009. DNA barcoding of marine crustaceans from the Estuary and Gulf of St Lawrence : a regional-scale approach. Mol. Ecol. Resour., 9(Suppl.1): 181-187.

[Résumé disponible seulement en anglais]
Marine crustaceans are known as a group with a high level of morphological and ecological diversity but are difficult to identify by traditional approaches and usually require the help of highly trained taxonomists. A faster identification method, DNA barcoding, was found to be an effective tool for species identification in many metazoan groups including some crustaceans. Here we expand the DNA barcode database with a case study involving 80 malacostracan species from the Estuary and Gulf of St Lawrence. DNA sequences for 460 specimens grouped into clusters corresponding to known morphological species in 95 % of cases. Genetic distances between species were on average 25 times higher than within species. Intraspecific divergence was high (3.78–13.6 %) in specimens belonging to four morphological species, suggesting the occurrence of cryptic species. Moreover, we detected the presence of an invasive amphipod species in the St Lawrence Estuary. This study reconfirms the usefulness.©2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

DUFOUR, R., D. BERNIER, 1994. Potentiel d'exploitation du crabe des neiges, Chionoecetes opilio, et des crabes Hyas araneus et Hyas coarctatus dans le Nord de la péninsule gaspésienne. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat., 1996, 51 p.

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Le potentiel d'exploitation d'une population de crabe des neiges et celui de deux autres populations de crabes du versant Nord de la péninsule gaspésienne : le crabe araignée, Hyas araneus, et le crabe violon, H. coarctatus, sont évalués. Certains aspects de la biologie des crabes Hyas sont également traités. Les résultats présentés proviennent de cinq semaines d'activités de pêche aux casiers japonais réalisées en 1992 dans cinq secteurs spécifiques du territoire.

ROBICHAUD, D.A., R.F.J. BAILEY, R.W. ELNER, 1986. The predatory behaviour of cod (Gadus morhua) and skate (Raja radiata) on crab prey species (Chionoecetes opilio, Hyas araneus and H. coarctatus). ICES C.M., 1986/G:47, 32 p .