Abstract
ACarcinus maenas population inhabiting the Schlei, a glacial fjord of the Baltic Sea, was studied during a three-year period of at least monthly sampling. Due to slightly higher water temperatures in the Schlei (c. 1 °C higher than in the neighbouring waters of the western Baltic Sea) annual larval development starts there one month earlier. When in some years salinities are unfavourable (<13‰), larval development may be almost completely prevented. Juveniles and adults tolerate changing salinities, even though females prefer staying in deep waters and juveniles in shallow waters of high salinities. During winter all crabs move to deeper waters and stay huddled together in crevices and holes until March or April. Females usually moult after being fertilized, which takes place after the breeding season in August. Males moult between May and June; juveniles continue to moult during the warm season. Moulting for growth lasts until puberty is reached in the second year. From then on intermoult periods are more extended, but males moult more frequently than females, attaining ultimately a larger size. Under favourable environmental conditions, the maximum lifespan ofC. maenas in the Schlei amounts to five years. During this period, five larval moults and about fifteen moults for growth occur.
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