Brachyuran crabs, like other decapod crustaceans, adopt a number of different strategies for larval dispersal. We verified the influence of variations in temperature, salinity, and pH on the abundance and taxonomic composition of brachyuran larvae in an Amazonian estuary and found evidence of both retention and export dispersal strategies. We identified larvae of 20 different taxa belonging to the families Grapsidae, Ocypodidae, Panopeidae, Pinnotheridae, and Sesarmidae. Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Ocypodidae), Pachygrapsus gracilis (Saussure, 1857) (Grapsidae), Leptuca cumulanta (Crane, 1943) (Ocypodidae), and Armases rubripes (Rathbun, 1897) (Sesarmidae) were the most abundant species. Most of the taxa present in the study area were at the zoea I stage but later larval stages were found in some species, indicating retention and export. Results were supported by canonical correspondence analysis and general linear model, which related larval community structure and reproduction patterns to variations in salinity, influenced primarily by the enormous discharge of the Amazon River and the high rainfall levels in the region. Further investigations of the distribution of larvae on the continental shelf are necessary to confirm the identified dispersal patterns. The study also presents novel data on the composition, abundance, and dispersal of brachyuran larvae in the tropical estuaries of the Amazon River.

This bibliographic review includes all brachyuran species listed for the Brazilian Amazon Coastal Zone (covering the occurrence of species in the states of Amapá, Pará, and Maranhão), with respective larval development either fully or partially described. Information provided include the current taxon name, taxon authorship, larval stages described, and habitat of the adult of each species. A total of 194 species were recorded in the study area. Of these, 49 (25%) have the larval stages completely described, 25 (13%) have incomplete descriptions of the larval development with at least one stage described, and most of them, 120 species (62%), do not have morphological descriptions of any larval stage. This is clearly a large gap that needs to be filled for the advancement of the knowledge of crab life histories in a unique area of coastal biodiversity. More so because this area faces threats from the pink shrimp fishery and oil prospection activities.

The present study investigates the spatio-temporal variation in the density of the adults and larvae of the shore crab Pachygrapsus gracilis and identifies the reproductive period and the population structure of the species in the Marapanim estuary, in northern Brazil, in order to describe the biological characteristics of this equatorial population on the Atlantic coast. Specimens were collected manually every month over the course of a year. Adults were collected at four rocky outcrops in the upper and lower mid-littoral. Larvae were sampled at six points using horizontal trawls of the surface water. The sampling points represent the inner and outer estuary, its two margins, and varying gradients of salinity. The density of the zoea I and adults were higher on the margins with the highest sediment deposition rates and salinity. Only the density of the adults correlated significantly with salinity. Although ovigerous females were only collected in the rainiest periods, the presence of juveniles throughout the year indicates that the species reproduces continuously. The population parameters indicate that the density of P. gracilis was related to salinity, and that part of the life cycle of these crabs is completed in the Marapanim estuary. This species reproduces in the estuary, exports zoea I to the coastal waters and then probably returns as megalopae, responding to local conditions through systematic shifts in its distribution and abundance over time and space. The population was relatively stable and able to adjust to the considerable variation in abiotic factors that are typical of this estuary.

O Programa Seguro-Desemprego do Pescador Artesanal, mais conhecido como Seguro Defeso, representa uma das mais importantes conquistas socioambientais dos pescadores artesanais no Brasil. O objetivo do artigo foi avaliar a evolução e distribuição dos recursos no estado do Pará. Foram utilizados dados disponíveis em publicações e nos sites do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), Controladoria Geral da União (CGU), Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (MTE) e Ministério da Pesca e Aquicultura (MPA), abrangendo o período 2009-2013. Os resultados indicam crescimento significativo no número de beneficiários e volume dos recursos a partir de 2009. Os estados mais beneficiados localizam-se nas regiões Norte e Nordeste, onde o Pará ocupa a primeira colocação, seguido por Maranhão, Bahia, Amazonas e Piauí. No estado do Pará há concentração na concessão dos benefícios, pois 15 municípios responderam por 61,49% dos recursos aplicados no período analisado. O Programa é fundamental para garantir a sobrevivência dos pescadores durante o período do defeso e a sustentabilidade dos estoques pesqueiros, entretanto, é necessário um monitoramento mais efetivo, visando coibir fraudes na concessão dos recursos e garantir que ele cumpra o seu papel como instrumento de política socioambiental para pesca e aquicultura no Brasil e no estado do Pará.

The slipper lobster Scyllarides delfosi is an important resource captured by fishery fleets of red lobster (Panulirus argus westonii) in northern Brazil. Despite the economic potential of this species, information on its biological and fishery aspects is still nonexistent. This study was conducted using four-year data on slipper lobster (2001 and 2003, 2013 and 2014) to analyse population structure and estimate fecundity and egg size of S. delfosi. A total of 547 slipper lobsters, S. delfosi, were collected. Ovigerous females and individuals of all size classes were captured by the fleet, mostly individuals newly recruited to the adult stock. These lobsters showed a 7-mm decrease in total mean length over a period of 10 years. Fecundity ranged from 24,710 to 190,060 eggs and egg diameter ranged from 0.60 to 0.64 mm. Research on life cycle, reproduction, and growth of S. delfosi is essential to provide support for the sustainable exploitation of this species, which is considered by-catch on the northern Brazilian coast, and as such, has no adequate public policies regarding its management.

For the first time, this study monitored six sites in a wide transect with approximately 240 km radius on the Amazon Continental Shelf (ACS) every three months. The objective was to analyze the larval composition of Brachyura, its abundance in shallow/subsurface and oblique hauls, the extent of larval dispersion related to the estuary/plume, and to predict the probability of occurrence and abundance for the temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll- a profiles of the water column. A total of 17,759 identified larvae are distributed in 8 families and 25 taxa. The water salinity was the best predictor of larval distribution. The statistical models used indicated that Panopeidae and Portunidae larvae are more frequent and more likely to occur in shallow water layers, while Calappidae occur in deeper layers, and Grapsidae, Ocypodidae, Sesarmidae, Pinnotheridae and Leucosiidae occur similarly in both strata. The larval dispersion extent varies among families and throughout the year while the groups are distributed in different salinities along the platform.  The probability of occurrence of Portunidae is higher in ocean water (> = 33.5); Grapsidae, Panopeidae, and Pinnotheridae is higher in intermediate and ocean salinity waters (25.5 to 33.5); Ocypodidae, Sesarmidae and Calappidae is higher in estuarine and intermediate salinity waters (5 to 25.5), whereas Leucosiidae, euryhaline, occur in all salinities (5 to 33.5). Furthermore, the Amazon River seasonal flow and plume movement throughout the year not only regulate the larval distribution and dispersion of estuarine species but are fundamental for the ACS species, providing the necessary nutrient input for larval development in the region plankton.

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