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
Munidopsis alaminos
Pequegnat & Pequegnat, 1970
Munidopsis alaminos
has been reported from the Gulf of
Mexico
and the Caribbean in depths of
428 to 828 m
(
Pequegnat & Pequegnat 1970
,
1971
;
Navas
et al.
2003
). We studied specimens collected from within the published range in depths of
475 to
786 m
. Eight males (CW range
4.1 to 10.2 mm
), five non-ovigerous females (CW ranged from
5.1 to 7.1 mm
), and six ovigerous females were measured (CW ranged from
7.5 to 10.8 mm
). Males and females were not significantly different in size (t-test, df
=
17, t
=
-0.890, p
=
0.386). Specimens were collected in all months but January, June, October, and December; ovigerous females were collected from May through November excluding June (
Fig. 12
D) suggesting a reproductive periodicity. Ovigerous females were significantly larger than non-ovigerous females (t-test, df
=
9, t
=
4.573, p
=
0.001). Fecundity was not significantly correlated with size for
M. alaminos
(R2
=
0.0607, p
=
0.638) nor was average egg size correlated with CW (R2
=
0.123, p
=
0.495). The smallest average egg diameter was removed from the dataset because it was half of all the other egg diameters and the measurement scale could not be verified; CW was correlated with the average egg size (R2
=
0.757, p
=
0.055). Females had between one and
73 eggs
with the average egg diameter between
0.98 mm
and
1.34 mm
.