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
Munida forceps
A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
Munida forceps
has been reported in depths of
73 to 950 m
from
Brazil
throughout the Caribbean, the Gulf of
Mexico
to Virginia, and the Middle Atlantic Bight (
Milne-Edwards 1880
;
Laird
et al.
1976
;
Wenner 1982
; de Melo-Filho & De
Melo 2001b
). The specimens that were measured were collected in every month except January (
Fig. 8
G) and were collected throughout the published range in depths of
40 to
508 m
. A total of
121 males
was measured with CW ranging from
3.2 to 18.1 mm
; males were not significantly larger than females (t-test, df
=
223, t
=
0.489, p
=
0.625). Ovigerous females were collected in every month except January, May, September, October, and November (
Fig. 8
G). Seventy-two ovigerous females (CW from
4.6 mm
to
12.7 mm
) and 42 non-ovigerous females (CW from
4.2 to 14.9 mm
) were measured; non-ovigerous females were not different in size from ovigerous females (t-test, df
=
111, t
=
-0.226, p
=
0.822). Fecundity was related to CW (R2
=
0.495, p<0.001) (
Fig. 4
D), but average egg diameter was not related to CW (R2
=
0.006, p
=
0.521). Females had between 11 and 1183 eggs with the average egg diameter of each female ranging between
0.40 mm
and
0.58 mm
.