Breeding and larval rearing of mud crab- Winter School on Recent Advances in Breeding and Larviculture of Marine Finfish and Shellfish

摘要

Aquaculture of mud crabs (Scylla spp.) dates back to 1890 in Guangdong, China (Shan and Lain 1994). Sinceud1970s onwards, a steady interest was noticed in mud crabs culture in many tropical Asian countries due to itsudimportantance in the industry and advantages viz. (1) uncomplicated technology, (2) abandoned shrimp ponds can beudconverted, (3) international markets, (4) native species to many tropical Asian countries, (5) easy transportation,udpotential for rural as well as industrialized aquaculture, (6) individual animals are valued in contrast to penaeid shrimpsudand (7) resilience of resources. However, crab aquaculture is severely constrained by the unperfected hatcheryudtechnology. This article summarizes various aspects of mud crab biology and hatchery technology.