Abstract:with the shell width at 1540 mm, temporally reared them in the aquarium of 75 cm×50 cm×45 cm, 24 h aerating and natural light. We changed the water at 1/3 each day and used potato and small fish as the feed for the crab. One week later we began the experiment. According to the reference into 5 stages as stage C (intermolting) , stages D0, D1, and D3 (premolt), and stage A-B(postmolt). We evaluated the changes in the hepatopancreas cell type composition during the molting cycle using cellular and histological methods. R (resorptive) cells were the most abundant cell type throughout the molting cycle, except during the postmolt A-B stage. The number of B (blisterlike) cells increased significantly ( stage, gradually decreased thereafter until the later premolt D3 stage, then increased significantly during the postmolt A-B stage (<0.05). The number of F (fibrillar) and E (embryonic) cells generally did not change significantly ( and D0 stages (<0.05). The effect of fasting on the hepatopancreas cell type differed among the molt stages During the <0.05), whereas the number of F cells increased significantly ( animals. The number of R cells was not affected ( stage, fasting had no effect (>0.05) on the numbers of all cell types. Our results suggest that hepatopancreas cell type composition of changes with molt stage. The purpose of this study is to understand the basic biologic change during the molt of crustacean and to provide a fundamental reference for the healthy aquaculture of this species.
