ABSTRACT
Reproduction is a critical life history process for all organisms. Patterns of mating and investment in offspring are expected to reect strategies adaptive to maintaining population productivity. King crabs of the family Lithodidae (Decapoda: Anomura) (De Grave et al., 2009; Mclaughlin et al., 2010) occupy broad latitudinal and bathymetric distributions with varying biotic and abiotic conditions (Zaklan et al., 2002). Strategies of mating and reproduction in the Lithodidae vary among taxa in relation to life history and prevailing environmental conditions (e.g., Thatje et al., 2005). The timing, physiology, and energetics of growth and reproduction have been reviewed for decapod crustaceans (Adiyodi and Adiyodi, 1970; Hartnoll, 1985; Nelson, 1991; Raviv et al., 2008), and the diversity, distribution, and broad life history characteristics of lithodid crabs have also been reviewed (Zaklan, 2002).
