Effects of water temperature on growth, feeding and molting of juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is a native crustacean that play an important role in Chinese aquaculture. In general, there is a paucity of research on mitten crab culture technology, especially a dearth in the estimation of technical parameters for effective farming. In addition, there is very little known on the growth characteristics (Inter-molt period and Molt increment) and feeding efficiency of early juvenile stages of E. sinensis in relation to temperature. The present study attempts to understand what effects of water temperature on growth, feeding and molting of E. sinensis, based on crabs reared individually in a temperature controlled system.