Reproductive biology of galatheoid and chirostyloid (Crustacea: Decapoda) squat lobsters from the Gulf of Mexico
Author
Kilgour, Morgan J.
Author
Shirley, Thomas C.
text
Zootaxa
2014
3754
4
381
419
journal article
46649
10.11646/zootaxa.3754.4.3
96aabdb2-1be6-484b-a6aa-34d046a24d01
1175-5326
229435
D6C44F9E-6EF7-411B-8C49-132AA77AB1A5
Uroptychus minutus
Benedict, 1902
Uroptychus minutus
was collected in the Gulf of
Mexico
, although the
type
specimen is from
Trinidad
at
134 m
(
Benedict 1902
). A total of
19 specimens
was measured from the Gulf of
Mexico
in depths of
46 to 81 m
(
Fig. 2
): seven females, four ovigerous females, and eight males; one ovigerous female was not measured. Specimens were only collected in May and June; ovigerous females were collected in both months (
Fig. 3
C). Males CW ranged from
2.3 to 4.7 mm
. Non-ovigerous females had CW of
2.1 to 3.5 mm
; ovigerous females had CW of
3.4 to 3.8 mm
. Ovigerous females and non-ovigerous females were not significantly different in size (t-test, df
=
8, t
=
1.823, p
=
0.106). Males and females were not significantly different in size either (t-test, df
=
15, t
=
0.579, p
=
0.571). No significant correlation existed between fecundity and the size of the ovigerous female (R2
=
0.324, p
=
0.655). Ovigerous females had between one and eight eggs, and the average egg diameter for each female was between
1 mm
and
1.4 mm
. However, the sample size was not large enough to make definitive statements about this species.