The spider crab Maja brachydactyla, Balss 1922 can produce three consecutive broods per breeding season in the wild, whereas females in captivity can spawn up to four times in the absence of males. The effect of male absence on the larval production of the spider crab M. brachydactyla was studied in a 2-year experiment in which females were kept in captivity in the presence or absence of males. The broodstock were maintained under natural photoperiod conditions, temperature (18.5 ± 1.0°C) and salinity (34.8 ± 0.7 g L-1). The number of larvae, and when possible, the dry weight and proximate biochemical composition of each larval batch were calculated and the data grouped seasonally. The larval production (P < 0.001) and protein content (P = 0.037) were significantly lower in the absence of males. However, considering that the larval production in male presence decreased due to the low female survival rate, particularly in the last part of the experiment, the presence of males should be managed to maintain a high larval production and condition without jeopardizing the survival of females. Therefore, we recommend keeping females segregated from males and transferring males to female tanks only to mate. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CGS was supported by the Comissionat de Universitat i Recerca del Departament d'Innovació, Universitat i Recerca of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Social Fund. MA was supported by an INIA predoctoral fellowship (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). This project was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino (JACUMAR project ‘Cria de centolla Maja sp.’)

8 pages, 5 figures

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