Crustacean

Changing priorities about protective shelters: A review of a key method to investigate possible pain in crustaceans

Testing if non-human taxa experience pain is difficult because we need to exclude the possibility that responses are nociceptive reflexes. One approach is to identify an essential, high priority, resource and then ask if the animal will abandon and subsequently...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Elwood, R. W. 2025. Changing priorities about protective shelters: A review of a key method to investigate possible pain in crustaceans. Biology Letters 21(9), 20250342.

Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: Biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions

The welfare of decapod crustaceans held in captivity, whether in aquariums, holding facilities, seafood restaurants, supermarkets, or fishmongers, is attracting growing attention and concern. This review focuses on three species that are commonly found in European commercial environments: the European...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Fruscella, L., Elwood, R. W., Passantino, A. 2025. Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: Biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions. Animals 15(16), 2397.

Effects of light colour and intensity on stress responses in the Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).

Stress is a natural defence mechanism that can negatively impact the outcome of experiments and increase interindividual variability. Among environmental parameters, light colour and intensity are known to impact stress responses in numerous species. The Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Pichon, C., Kersante, P., Le Reste, G. et al. 2025. Effects of light colour and intensity on stress responses in the Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 289, 106694.

Personality traits of the territorial crustacean Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis): Behavioral adaptations to environmental cues (2025)

Territorial crustaceans exhibit a complex set of personality traits and behavioral characteristics that are critical for their survival, growth, and overall welfare. This study aimed to systematically investigate the interplay between two essential personality traits—boldness and aggression—in Chinese mitten crabs...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Personality, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Fang, P., Sheng, S., Li, Y. et al. 2025. Personality traits of the territorial crustacean Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis): Behavioral adaptations to environmental cues. Animals 15(5), 757.

A history of pain studies and changing attitudes to the welfare of crustaceans (2025)

Early discussions about possible pain in crustaceans often comprised speculation and anecdotes. Experiments to investigate pain took guidance from these early debates, and from studies on other taxa. Many experiments provided data that are consistent with the idea of pain....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Analgesia, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Elwood, R. W. 2025. A history of pain studies and changing attitudes to the welfare of crustaceans. Animals 15(3), 445.

Considerations for implementing regulation of decapods in science

Decapod crustaceans, commonly utilised for pure or applied scientific research and commercial food production, have generally remained outside ethical debate. However, in the last decade many parts of the world have seen an increase in public interest in the welfare...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Powell, A., Agnalt, A.-L., Heasman, K. et al. 2024. Considerations for implementing regulation of decapods in science. Animal Welfare 33, e55.

Effects of cold stress on the hemolymph of the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei

Temperature is an important factor in the physiological processes of aquatic organisms and can seriously affect several chemical and biological processes in their bodies, including respiratory metabolism, antioxidant capacity, immune capacity, and signal transduction. In this study, physiological, transcriptomic, and...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Zhu, J., Shi, W., Zhao, R. et al. 2024. Effects of cold stress on the hemolymph of the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Fishes 9(1), 36.

The effects of caustic soda and benzocaine on directed grooming to the eyestalk in the glass prawn, Palaemon elegans, are consistent with the idea of pain in decapods

Acceptance of the possibility of pain in animals usually requires that various criteria are fulfilled. One such criterion is that a noxious stimulus or wound would elicit directed rubbing or grooming at the site of the stimulus. There is also...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Analgesia, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Barr, S., Elwood, R. W. 2024. The effects of caustic soda and benzocaine on directed grooming to the eyestalk in the glass prawn, Palaemon elegans, are consistent with the idea of pain in decapods. Animals 14(3), 364.

Trade-offs between avoidance of noxious electric shock and avoidance of bright light in shore crabs are consistent with predictions of pain

The suggestion that decapod crustaceans might experience pain has been dismissed by some authors who claim decapods only respond to noxious stimuli by nociceptive reflexes. Because reflexes do not require complex neuronal processing, but pain does, demonstrating reflex responses to...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Barr, S., Elwood, R. W. 2024. Trade-offs between avoidance of noxious electric shock and avoidance of bright light in shore crabs are consistent with predictions of pain. Animals 14(5), 770.

Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking?

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea; Latreille 1802) offer great opportunities to study animal behaviour and physiology. However, the animals' size and sex cannot be determined when they are inside their shell; information crucial to many experimental designs. Here, we tested the effects...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Handling, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Burciaga, L. M., Alcaraz, G. 2023. Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking? Animal Welfare 32, e24.