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Stone crabs mate after molting when the female is soft. Males deposit spermatozoa in the receptacle of the female. Eggs are fertilized within the ovary lumen. After fertilization and ovarian development, eggs are deposited in an external mass or sponge (160,000 to 1 million per egg mass) beneath the female abdomen. At this time, females are termed ovigerous, or egg-bearing. Eggs usually hatch within two weeks after they are extruded. Larval development takes approximately four weeks before metamorphosis to the juvenile form.

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16y ago

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