This book reports significant progress of scientific research on horseshoe crabs, including aspects of evolution, genetics, ecology, population dynamics, general biology and physiology, within the recent 10 years. It also highlights the emerging issues related to world-wide conservation threats, status and needs. The contributions in this book represent part of an ongoing global effort to increase data and concept sharing to support basic research and advance conservation for horseshoe crabs.

Provides up-to-date research on horseshoe crab evolution, genetics, physiology, ecology, conservation and laboratory culture

PART 1: EVOLUTION, ADAPTATION, AND GENTICS1. The oldest species of the genus Limulus from the Late Jurassic of PolandB¿äej B¿äejowski  2. The Delaware Bay area, USA: a unique habitat of the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemusCN Shuster, Jr. 3. Sea level rise in Delaware Bay, USA: Adaptations of spawning horseshoe crabs (L. polyphemus) to the glacial past, and the rapidly changing shoreline of the bayRE Loveland, ML Botton 4. Conservation genetics of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus): Allelic diversity, zones of genetic discontinuity, and regional differentiationTL King, MS Eackles, AW Aunins, HJ Brockmann, E Hallerman, BB Brown  5. Florida, USA horseshoe crabs: Populations, genetics and the marine life harvest HJ Brockmann, T Black, TL King  6. Genetic features of Tachypleus tridentatus in Japan and an alien (non-native) population founded at Ise-Mikawa Bay, Chubu Region, central JapanS Nishida, K Kuroyanagi, H KoikePART 2: ECOLOGY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS7. Home range study of juvenile Chinese horseshoe crabs, Tachypleus tridentatus (Xiphosura), using passive tracking methodsBKY Kwan, PKS Shin, SG Cheung 8. Population structure and growth of juvenile horseshoe crabs T. tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Xiphosura) in southern ChinaMH Hu, BKY Kwan, Y Wang, SG Cheung, PKS Shin 9. Distribution and abundance of two sympatric species of horseshoe crabs along the Odisha Coast, India S Behera, B Tripathy, K Sivakumar, BC Choudhury, P Bhadury 10. Studies of horseshoe crabs around Singapore L Cartwright-Taylor  11. The population size and movement of horseshoe crab, Tachypleus gigas (Müller) on the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia  F Mohamad, N Ismail, A Bin Ahmad, A Manca, M Zul Fayyadh A Rahman, M Farhan S Bahri,M Fawwaz Afham Mohd Sofa, I Huda Abdul Ghaffar, A Asyraf Aliäm, N Hafiz Abdullah, M Mustakim Kasturi 12. Habitat inventory trend analysis of Limulus polyphemus populations on Long Island, USA: from the tip of Brooklyn to the tip of Montauk, 2003-2014 J Tanacredi, S Portilla 13. The life history cycle of Limulus polyphemus in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire USAH Cheng, C Chabot, W Watson 14. Molts reveal life-history patterns for juvenile American horseshoe crabs in fringe habitatsMG Estes, Jr, RH Carmichael, PDM Macdonald, AJ Brady, J McFadyen PART 3: BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY15. Preliminary investigation of effects of seawater pH on early development of Limulus polyphemusJ Tanacredi, S Portilla 16. Effects of sediment type and tank shape on horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) growth and survival in cultureEE Hieb, JD Baggett, AM Aven, RH Carmichael 17. Bacteria and fungi identified on Horseshoe Crabs, Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda in the laboratoryMIM Faizul, HT Eng, A Christianus, YM Abdel-Hadi 18. Marine bacteria associated with horseshoe crabs, Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicaudaN Ismail, F Mohamad, A Ahmad, A Asyraf Aliäm, O Sheng Khai, M Fawwaz Afham Mohd Sofa, A Farid Manca 19. Mating tactics of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus)HJ Brockmann, SL Johnson, MD Smith, D Sasson 20. Examination of large exuviae with mating scars: Do female American horseshoe crabs, L. polyphemus, molt after sexual maturity?RH Carmichael, EE Hieb, G Gauvry CN Shuster, Jr PART 4: CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT21. Emerging issues in horseshoe crab conservation: A perspective from the IUCN species specialist groupML Botton, RH Carmichael, PKS Shin, SG Cheung 22. Current status of Trachypleus tridentatus in Taiwan for Red List assessmentH Hsieh, C Chen 23. Status and threat perceptions of the Indian Horseshoe crabs along the Northeast coast of Bay of Bengal, IndiaJK Mishra, A Mishra, Yasmin 24. Assessment and management of North American horseshoe crab populations, with emphasis on a multispecies framework for Delaware Bay, USA populationsMJ Millard, JA Sweka, CP McGowan, DR Smith 25. The mismanagement of Limulus polyphemus in Long Island Sound, USA: What are the characteristics of a population in declineM Beekey, J Mattei 26. Horseshoe crabs in modern day biotechnological applicationsAP Das, B Bal, PS Mahapatra 27. Current horseshoe crab harvesting practices cannot support global demand for TAL/LAL. The pharmaceutical and medical device industries' role in the sustainability of horseshoe crabsG Gauvry 28. Biomedical implications for managing the Limulus polyphemus harvest along the northeast coast of the United StatesTJ Novitsky29. Biotechnology efforts to conserve horseshoe crabs through the development of recombinant Factor C-based endotoxin testP Li, B Ho, J L Ding 30. Development of aquaculture methods to enhance horseshoe crab populations: An example from Delaware Bay, USAB Landau, D Jones, C Zarnoch, M Botton31. Horseshoe crab research in urban estuaries: Challenges and opportunitiesJ Mattei, M Botton, M Beekey, C Colón 32. Green Eggs & Sand, Team Limulus and More: Educating for horseshoe crab conservation in the U.S. G Kreamer, S T Kreamer 33. Building local community awareness of horseshoe crabs in Kujukushima, Nagasaki, JapanC Nishimura, C Iwaoka34. Young Voices:  Through the Arts, Future Environmental Stewards Have a Global Voice Glenn Gauvry, and Ruth H. Carmichael