FACTORS INFLUENCING MOULTING IN THE CRUSTACEAN, CRANGON ARMILLATUS

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Abstract
When kept in individual culture dishes in the laboratory where they are subject to the usual daily changes in temp., C. armillatus exhibits diurnal moulting which begins in mid-forenoon, reaches its height at about 1:30 p.m. when the temp. is highest and ceases in early evening. Light of 75 foot-candles has little if any effect on moulting but animals kept at a constant temp. appear to molt as often at night as in the daytime. By increasing the temp. by approx. 3.5[degree]C the moulting interval was decreased by 22.1%. Females carrying embryos do not moult even though the period of carrying embryos exceeds the usual interval between moults. Evidently there are at least 2 factors which are concerned with moulting: one, which is influenced by temp. changes, causes moulting; the other, which inhibits moulting in seeded [female][female], appears to be dependent upon the attachment of the embryos to the [female].