HARDENING OF RED KING CRAB PARALITHODES CAMTSCHATICUS (TILESIUS, 1815) SHELLS AFTER MOLTING

Shell hardness was measured with a durometer for female red king crabs, Paralithodes camtschaticus, held in the laboratory over variable periods up to 107 days after molting. The data were fit best by a hyperbolic equation, with parameters beta(0) = 0.216 and beta(1) = 0.019 (R-2 = 0.976, n = 199), and an asymptotic value of 50.7 durometer units (DU). The time required to reach 90% of complete shell hardness (H-90 = 45.6 DU) was calculated to be 74.2 days. Molting dates for all crabs were hindcast using the last measurement that was less than H-90 and mere within 2.5 +/- 6.4 days (mean +/- SE, n = 34) of the actual molting date.