J. falcata, an unselective suspension feeder, was cultivated in standing, unaerated finger bowls, feeding on amixture of Brachionus plicatilis, Scrippsiella faeroense, Ulva sp., and natural detritus. This amphipod can also be maintained with diets composed of dead or live material of both plant and animal origin, but an addition ofliving zooplankton is necessary for long-term cultivation. Starvation resistance is higher in females than inmales, and it is increased by lower temperatures. The life span of J. falcata increases with decreasing temperature, and it is generally higher in females (maximum: 252 days at 10 °C) than in males. In laboratory culture, a bimodal mortality pattern is typical with high juvenile death rates, low mortality during thereproductive phase, and again increasingly high death rates toward the end of the life cycle. Growth rate depends on temperature, sex, and individual age. The temperature dependence of growth is particularly high inmales, and it is higher in adults than in juveniles. The total number of moults is lower in males (5 to 6) than infemales (7 to 9). Sexual maturity is attained at moult IV to V. The average incubation time of eggs is about 9 to 16 days (highest value at 10 °C). Three to 4 broods were observed, with largest numbers of offspring at 10 °C.