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Laboratory culture and maintenance of the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus)

Lab Animal volume 34, pages 27–34 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Often referred to as a living fossil, the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is one of the most-studied invertebrate animals in the world. It has served as a model in Nobel Prize–winning eye research, and researchers use a component of its blood to detect bacterial contamination in medical devices and drugs. The authors review the conditions necessary for housing these animals in the laboratory.

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Figure 1: a. External features of the dorsal surface of the “American” horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus.
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Figure 5: A simple aquaculture system for maintaining horseshoe crabs in captivity.
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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Phase II, Duck Pond Dr., Blacksburg, 24061, VA

    Stephen A. Smith DVM PhD

  2. National Marine Fisheries Service RTR Unit, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 100 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, 24061, VA

    Jim Berkson PhD

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Correspondence to Stephen A. Smith DVM PhD.

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Smith, S., Berkson, J. Laboratory culture and maintenance of the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). Lab Anim 34, 27–34 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0705-27

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