Osmoregulatory Ability of Blue Crabs in Different Temperature-Salinity Combinations

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Abstract
Adult male and immature, mature, and ovigerous female blue crabs,Callinectes sapidus, prefer different portions of estuaries. Total osmotic concentrations of blood samples from crabs held in 5, 50, or 100% sea water (salinity 34 o/oo) at 10, 20, or 30 C indicated that some differences in osmoregulatory capabilities were related to differences in distribution. Ovigerous females did not regulate as well as mature females or adult males at 5 or 50% sea water, at all temperatures. In 50 or 100% sea water, osmotic concentrations of immature females generally were less than those of mature females. At almost all temperature-salinity combinations, however, differences in the osmoregulatory ability of adult males and mature females were not significant. The blue crab showed good hyperosmotic regulation in 5 and 50% sea water but regulated its blood hyposmotically in 100% sea water.

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