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Life history of the sandy-beach amphipod Neohaustorius schmitzi (Crustacea: Haustoriidae)

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Abstract

Neohaustorius schmitzi Bousfield, the dominant macroscopic invertebrate on sandy beaches in North Carolina, USA, is strictly intertidal, and distributed from mean low tide to high tide, with an average density of 790/m2. Location of greatest densities within the intertidal zone is dependent upon season and sex. An aggregated distribution is shown. N. schmitzi has 2 generations/year: a winter generation which lives about 8 months, and a summer generation which lives about 4 months. The reproductive season extends from February through October, with spring and summer peaks. Each female appears to produce only 1 brood of young. The number of young ranges from 2 to 14, depending upon the length and generation of the female.

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Author notes

  1. D. M. Dexter

    Present address: Department of Zoology, San Diego State College, 92115, San Diego, California, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina, Morehead City, North Carolina, USA

    D. M. Dexter

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  1. D. M. Dexter
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Communicated by J. Bunt, Miami

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Dexter, D.M. Life history of the sandy-beach amphipod Neohaustorius schmitzi (Crustacea: Haustoriidae). Marine Biology 8, 232–237 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00355221

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00355221

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