Pleopodal egg production of the white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes lereboullet under laboratory conditions: Relationship between egg number, egg diameter and female size

Abstract

Reproductive data from a total number of 1296 adult white-clawed crayfish (864 females mean carapace length size 3.36 ± 0.49 cm and 432 males mean carapace length size 3.66 ± 0.38 cm) are reported. In a 10-year period, crayfish from wild populations caught in mid September were kept under indoor laboratory conditions where mating and spawning took place. Broodstock mortality was low: 5% in females and 1.1% in males. From the initial number of females, 771 mated (89.2%) and 721 spawned (83.4%). Pleopodal eggs were counted without removal between 3 and 20 days after spawning and mean number was 73.5 ± 34.1 (range 14-220). Egg diameter of 94 females was measured giving a mean value of 2.39 ± 0.015 mm (range 2.08-2.79 mm). Correlations between female size (carapace length CL), number of pleopodal eggs and egg diameter were made.