Crustaceans and Crabs
The crustaceans are a large group of arthropods----about 50,000 different species, containing the familiar lobsters, crabs, shrimps, barnacles and crayfish. The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) which ranges from Nova Scotia to Argentina, is also native to the Chesapeake Bay, and represents an important natural resource for local fisheries. In contrast, the Atlantic green shore crab (Carcinus maenas), which is native to the European and North African coasts, is a highly invasive species on both the Western and Eastern coasts of the United States.

Neuroendocrinology and Molting
Like other animals, arthropods control their development and in particular, their molting cycles and reproduction, by means of hormones released from the neural tissue of the brain. Molting----the process in which arthropods shed their external skeleton or cuticle, is known as ecdysis, and is controlled by neural hormones. The field of neuroendocrinology relies on a variety of techniques, including physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology, to study the conditions that control release of such hormones, and the effects of these hormones on their target tissues.