Reproductive biology of the slipper lobster Scyllarides deceptor (Decapoda: Scyllaridae) along the southern Brazilian coast

Abstract

The reproductive biology of Scyllarides deceptor was studied along the southern Brazilian coast (278S 488W) from December 2002 to December 2003. Samples were collected monthly at Xavier Island, where animals were caught and marked. Fecundity and egg size were estimated from ovigerous females caught also in two adjacent islands, Arvoredo and Aranhas. A total of 98 females was recorded at Xavier Island during the sampling period, 24 of these were recaptured and presented time-at-liberty ranging from 14 to 297 days. Ovigerous females were observed during spring and summer, with the moulting period lasting from late winter to spring. Size at sexual maturity was assessed from 66 females caught during the breeding season and estimated in 85.33 mm of carapace length (CL). Mean fecundity of S. deceptor was estimated in 191,262 eggs (+17,811, SE) for females, on average, 94.74 mm long (+1.86 mm SE) (CL). Fecundity was significantly related to CL (R 2 ¼ 0.90) Mean egg size was 0.67 mm (+0.005 mm SE) and did not correlate significantly to CL (P ¼ 0.78). The rocky bottom of Xavier Island was favourable for reproduction, presenting shelter and foraging grounds for the ovigerous females. For management purposes, our results suggest the closure of the S. deceptor fishery from November to January and the capture-size of females to be restricted to animals larger than 90 mm (CL).

Slipper lobsters (Scyllaridae) off the southeastern coast of Brazil: relative growth, population structure, and reproductive biology

“…Females tended to show an increase in LA, therefore, enhancing their capacity for oviposition and for hatching a greater number of eggs in the bristles of their pleopods (individual fecundity) Demartini and Williams, 2001;Oliveira et al, 2008). Although the average female is larger than the average male, it is possible that an increase in body size (TL) in males facilitates the selection, grasping, and manipulation of females at the time of copulation, as has been observed in lobsters of the genus Panulirus .…”

“…The reproductive biology of members of the Scyllaridae has been studied for the genera Thenus (Kagwade and Kabli, 1996;Courtney et al, 2001) and Ibacus Haddy et al, 2005) with emphasis on the genus Scyllarides (Hardwick and Cline, 1990;Spanier and Lavalli, 1998;DeMartini and Williams, 2001;DeMartini et al, 2005;Hearn and Toral-Granda, 2007;Oliveira et al, 2008). According to the above mentioned authors, the sizes of females at maturity are smaller in species of the genera Ibacus (butterfly fan lobster) and Thenus (flathead lobster and T. indicus) than in species of the genus Scyllarides (blunt slipper lobster, Galapagos slipper lobster [S. astori], and hooded slipper lobster [S. deceptor]).…”

“…The variability in the reproductive biology of species of Scyllarides has been shown to be relatively high. For example, the hooded slipper lobster has 2 spawning seasons per year (Oliveira et al, 2008)-a difference from the Galapagos slipper lobster (Hearn and Toral-Granda, 2007)-and a mean tail width at maturity of 62.6 mm (Oliveira et al, 2008), compared with a mean tail width of 47.6 mm for the blunt slipper lobster (DeMartini et al, 2005). Studies of Scyllarides species are needed to estimate size at sexual maturity, fecundity, and reproductive period and to determine locations that are favorable for spawning in order to better understand the life cycle of these species and, therefore, to improve fisheries management toward a more sustainable resource (Sparre and Venema, 1998;Chubb, 2000).…”

“…Two species of Scyllarides occupy the south and southeast: 1) the Brazilian slipper lobster, distributed at depths of 20-130 m from Antilles to Brazil (Maranhão to São Paulo), and 2) the hooded slipper lobster, distributed at depths of 6-420 m from Argentina to Brazil (Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul) (Holthuis, 1985(Holthuis, , 1991Melo, 1999;Oliveira et al, 2008;Duarte et al, 2010). Brazilian slipper lobsters are caught by 2 kinds of commercial fishing fleets in southeastern Brazil: 1) medium-size double trawlers that target mostly shrimp and 2) potand-trap fleets that target the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris).…”

“…In the same region, Duarte et al (2010) have shown a significant reduction in the abundance of the hooded slipper lobster despite a relatively low fishing effort. This reduction can be explained by its slow rate of population growth, high total mortality (Duarte et al, 2011), and late maturity (Oliveira et al, 2008) compared with other species of the same family. Also, traders have noted a smaller size of individuals in the catch in recent years (Duarte et al, 2011).…”