ABSTRACT

In king crabs, as in all crustaceans, the processes of growth, molting, and feeding are inextricably linked. Feeding provides the energy for growth, and molting allows periodic replacement of the hard outer exoskeleton, which allows expansion of the body, healing of wounds, and displacement of epibionts, which can damage the shell and the gills. Adequate nutrition is required for growth, and lack of it can impede growth, but this may be rare under natural conditions due to the omnivorous habit and great mobility of king crabs, both of which allow them to take advantage of different habitats and prey communities. In this chapter, we discuss growth and feeding primarily for the red king crab (RKC, Paralithodes camtschaticus), blue king crab (BKC, P. platypus), and golden king crab (GKC, Lithodes aequispinus). Growth and feeding of the southern king crab, L. santolla, are discussed by Lovrich and Tapella in Chapter 14.