Update on the lobster species from Rocas Atoll Marine Reserve, Brazil

Abstract

Lobsters play an important trophic role as a top predator in benthic marine ecosystems and also have an economic importance due to your intensive and valuable fishery (Cruz et al. 2015). Rocas Atoll (03°51ʹ S, 033°48ʹ W) is the only atoll in the South Atlantic and one of the smallest in the world (Silva et al. 2001). This marine reserve was the first one to be established in the Brazilian coast and this area has importance to the territorial policy of the Federation due to its remote location off the continental coast, resulting in an increase of the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone. The Marine Reserve includes an area of 360 km² distant and is located 266 km off the mainland coast (Pereira et al. 2013). Rocas has a diverse crustacean fauna from crabs (Callapa sp., Carpilius corallinus, Grapsus grapsus, Ocypode quadrata and Johngarthia lagostoma), lobsters (Panulirus argus and P. echinatus), shrimps (Stenopus hispidus) and others (Grossman et al. 2012). The aims of this study are to provide an updated list of lobsters from Rocas Atoll and also to confirm the presence of the three species belonging to the genus Panulirus White, 1847, from Rocas Atoll Reserve, Brazil.The data (observations and photographs of lobsters) were obtained during expeditions from 1997 to 2014 in the pools formed during low tide at Rocas Atoll and in the sandy islands (Figure 1). Lobsters were recorded at depths of 0-6 m during non-destructive visual censuses with minimum ecosystem interference. Conservation measures in the reserve suggest that researchers do not collect animals if it is not extremely necessary. Data collection was done by snorkeling around each pool and visually searching for lobsters inside crevices, holes and all places inside the pools during day time. The search effort was measured but this is not the aim of this study. Some data are collected around the two islands when individuals were found dead in the sand. Specimens were identified in situ and if necessary photographed to further identification, but it was not necessary to collect any specimen. Identifications were based on the lobster key of Holthuis (1991) and used the main characteristics of color, spine patterns, antenna size, other characters, and those characters were used to describe the morphology of the each species. The classification follows Chan (2010).Six lobster species were recorded on the Rocas Atoll reef during the study. All of them were photographed, except for Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille, 1817

Ficha de Panulirus echinatus

“…No Brasil, a espécie ocorre em uma área que se estende desde o Ceará até o Rio de Janeiro. Também é encontrado em ilhas oceânicas, como o Atol das Rocas, Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo, e as Ilhas de Trindade e Martim Vaz (Melo, 1999;Silva et al, 2001;Pinheiro, Freire & Oliveira, 2003;Gaeta et al, 2015). Com relação aos hábitos alimentares P. echinatus é considerada uma espécie onívora e generalista que se alimenta de uma grande variedade de organismos em diferentes níveis tróficos.…”

Lobster Distribution and Biodiversity on the Continental Shelf of Brazil: A Review

“…Finally, Palinurellus gundlachi von Martens, 1878 (Palinuridae) occurs in NE [3,43] from Paraiba to Alagoas. The last two species were first recorded at the marine reserve at Rocas Atoll [52].…”