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 erinacea
(
A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
)
Munidopsis erinacea
has been reported as
Munidopsis erinaceus
and
Galathodes erinaceus
(see
Baba
et al.
2008
) from
Brazil
to the Gulf of
Mexico
in depths of
238 to 1574 m
(
Milne-Edwards 1880
;
Chace 1942
;
Tavares & Campinho 1998
;
Campos
et al.
2005
). Specimens in this analysis were from within the published depth ranges of the species in depths of
344 to 1487 m
. Specimens were collected in every month; ovigerous specimens were collected in every month except August and January (
Fig. 12
G). One hundred fifteen males (CW from
3.3 mm
19.5 mm
),
50 females
(CW from 3.2 to 11.0 mm) and 44 ovigerous females (CW from
5.1 to 12.7 mm
) were measured. Males were significantly larger than females (t-test, df
=
207, t
=
-2.102, p
=
0.037); ovigerous females were significantly larger than non-ovigerous females (t-test, df
=
90, t
=
-3.483, p<0.001). Females carried between one and
82 eggs
with an average egg diameter of
1.02 to 1.33 mm
. Fecundity was correlated with CW (R2
=
0.432, p
=
0.004) (
Fig. 10
C), but average egg diameter was not correlated with CW (R2
=
0.113, p
=
0.203).