Lunar rhythms in the egg hatching of the subtidal crustacean: Callinectes arcuatus Ordway (Decapoda: Brachyura)

The Gulf of Nicoya, an estuary on the Pacific coast of Central America, contains a large population of the portunid crab Callinectes arcuatus. Results of a 12 month survey indicated that spawning activity occurs throughout the year, but with a distinct peak during the five-month dry season (December-April). Mature females were most prevalent in the upper regions of the gulf during the rainy season and appeared to migrate to the lower gulf to spawn during the dry season. Patterns of spawning and apparent migration differed from those reported in an earlier study of C. arcuatus along the Pacific coast of Mexico.