Page 17 - More about the Lobster
Published by Ronald Caplan on 1974/6/1 (627 reads)is used to fertilize the first batch of eggs' and in the case of the very large fe? males with slow growth it is quite possible that several batches of eggs may be laid and fertilized between successive moults by sperm from a single copulation. Figure 1. Egg-laying posture Figure 2. Hatching posture (During egg-laying the lobster takes up a position as shown in Figure 1,) Eggs pass? ing from the openings of the oviducts at the bases of the second pair of walking legs flowed downward six to eight abreast, and were carried into the abdominal poc? ket apparently by means of a current created by the first pair of swiramerets which beat at the rate of 15 or 20 times a minute. No eggs were observed to be lost during the procedure, all passing into the abdominal pocket. When egg-layii' was completed the cephalothorax was gradually lowered and the abd
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