Age and size structure of Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, in a no-take marine reserve in the Florida Keys, USA

Abstract In crustaceans, ecdysis was long believed to result in the loss and replacement of all calcified structures, precluding the use of conventional ageing methods. However, the discovery of bands in the gastric ossicles of several crustaceans with some correlation with age suggests that direct age estimation may be possible. We applied this method to a tropical spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, one of the most iconic and economically valuable species in the Caribbean. The presence of growth bands was investigated using wild lobsters of unknown age and was validated with captive reared lobsters of known age (1.5–10 years) from the Florida Keys, Florida (USA). Bands were consistently identified in ptero- and zygo-cardiac ossicles of the gastric mill and did not appear to be associated with moulting. Validation with known age animals confirms that bands form annually. Counts between independent readers were reproducible with coefficients of variation ranging from 11% to 26% depending on reader experience and the structure used. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that direct age determination of P. argus is possible.

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Fecundity dynamics of female spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in a south Florida fishery and Dry Tortugas National Park lobster sanctuary

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf01214 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 52 (8) ◽

pp. 1559 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Rodney D. Bertelsen ◽

Thomas R. Matthews

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Egg Production ◽

Size Structure ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

South Florida ◽

Reproductive Season ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Dry Tortugas ◽

Spiny Lobsters

Using diver surveys, we compared the size structure, fecundity, and reproductive season of spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) in the Dry Tortugas National Park lobster sanctuary with those of spiny lobsters in the south Florida fishery. The number of lobsters of both sexes larger than the legal size limit declined sharply in the fishery but not in the sanctuary. Clutch sizes were larger in the Dry Tortugas sanctuary, averaging 0.8 million, than in the fishery, averaging 0.3 million. The reproductive season was shorter and more intense in the sanctuary than in the fishery. In addition, lobsters in the sanctuary begin producing eggs at a larger size and produce more eggs per gram of body mass than lobsters in the fishery. Peak egg production occurs earlier in larger lobsters than in small ones. Establishing a fundamental reason for the differences between lobster reproduction in the sanctuary and that in the fishery is not possible until the chronological age of lobsters can be determined, but one hypothesis consistent with these differences is that, if lobsters reproduce at a certain chronological age, then sublethal fishery practices may account for slower growth for some lobsters resulting in some smaller but older reproductively active lobsters.

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Hydrodynamic decoupling of recruitment, habitat quality and adult abundance in the Caribbean spiny lobster: source - sink dynamics?

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf97194 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 807 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

R. N. Lipcius ◽

W. T. Stockhausen ◽

D. B. Eggleston ◽

L. S. Marshall Jr ◽

B. Hickey

Keyword(s):

Habitat Quality ◽

Large Scale ◽

Marine Reserve ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Marine Species ◽

Nursery Habitat ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Juvenile Density ◽

Adult Abundance

Marine species possess dispersive stages that interconnect subpopulations, which may inhabit ‘source’ and ‘sink’ habitats, where reproduction and emigration either exceed or fall short of mortality and immigration, respectively. Postlarval supply, juvenile density and adult abundance of the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, were measured at four widely separated sites spanning >100 km in Exuma Sound, Bahamas. Adult abundance was lowest at a site with the highest postlarval supply and little nursery habitat; hence, it was tentatively classified as a sink. Circulation in Exuma Sound is dominated by large-scale gyres which apparently concentrate and advect postlarvae toward the nominal sink. The remaining three sites, including one marine reserve, had higher adult abundances despite lower postlarval supply, and are therefore tentatively classified as sources. Postlarval supply is probably decoupled from adult abundance by physical transport. Adult abundance is likely decoupled from postlarval supply by the effects of varying habitat quality upon postlarval and juvenile survival, as indicated by non-significant differences among sites in juvenile density. It appears that some sites with suitable settlement and nursery habitat are sources of spawning stock for Panulirus argus, whereas others with poor habitat are sinks despite sufficient postlarval influx.

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Movements of the Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus in South Florida

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f86-273 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 43 (11) ◽

pp. 2228-2234 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Douglas R. Gregory Jr. ◽

Ronald F. Labisky

Keyword(s):

Spiny Lobster ◽

Patch Reef ◽

Florida Keys ◽

South Florida ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Commercial Fishing ◽

Dispersal Patterns ◽

Long Distance ◽

Deep Reef ◽

Spiny Lobsters

Long-distance movements of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus were studied in two Gulf of Mexico habitats (Shallows, Mid-depth) and three Atlantic Ocean habitats (Shallows, Patch Reef, and Deep Reef) in the lower Florida Keys during the mid-1970's. Of 6062 spiny lobsters tagged and released at the five sites between June 1975 and August 1976, 465 of the 771 (13%) lobsters recovered yielded usable movement data. Eighty percent of the tags were recovered within the first 3 mo of the 8 mo commercial fishing season (July 26 – March 31). Directions and rates of movements differed significantly (P < 0.05) among sites. Movements from Gulf sites were generally oriented to the west and southwest, toward the Atlantic offshore reefs, at mean displacement velocities of 0.57 km/d (Mid-depth) and 0.24 km/d (Shallows). Movements of lobsters from the Atlantic sites were principally eastward and westward, parallel to the reef line and island chain, at mean displacement velocities of 0.02 km/d (Deep Reef) and 0.05 km/d (Shallows, Patch Reef). The more directed movements of spiny lobsters from Gulf sites may reflect a migration from nursery grounds to the Atlantic reefs, which not only constitute the primary spawning habitat but also exhibit a more stable winter environment than the shallow Gulf. Movements of spiny lobsters within Atlantic waters reflect localized random onshore–offshore dispersal patterns typical within reef environments.

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Influence of coastal eddies and counter-currents on the influx of spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, postlarvae into Florida Bay

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf01110 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 52 (8) ◽

pp. 1217 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Cynthia Yeung ◽

David L. Jones ◽

Maria M. Criales ◽

Thomas L. Jackson ◽

William. J. Richards

Keyword(s):

Current Flow ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Mesoscale Eddy ◽

Florida Bay ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Larval Transport ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Counter Current Flow ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Counter Current

Postlarvae of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus migrate from offshore in the Florida Keys into their juvenile habitat in Florida Bay through interisland channels. The influx of postlarvae was monitored monthly over the new-moon period at Long Key and Whale Harbor channels (July 1997–June 1999). Although the channels were only 30 km apart, their influx patterns differed. At Long Key, influx peaked every 2–3 months, whereas at Whale Harbor the peaks were in winter and of higher magnitudes. The influx pattern at Long Key was highly correlated with the strength of coastal counter-current flow in the two-week period prior to sampling. Countercurrent flow was correlated with alongshore (upstream) wind stress, but the latter was not a significant predictor of postlarval influx. Coastal counter-current flow is hypothesized to indicate the presence of a cyclonic, mesoscale eddy offshore. Satellite imagery confirmed the presence of these eddies offshore of the Middle Florida Keys often when positive postlarval influx and counter-current anomalies were observed. These eddies can facilitate onshore larval transport, and their variable temporal and spatial properties can cause transport variability over a scale of several tens of kilometres along the Keys.

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Effects of ghost fishing lobster traps in the Florida Keys

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsu238 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 72 (suppl_1) ◽

pp. i185-i198 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Casey B. Butler ◽

Thomas R. Matthews

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Florida Bay ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Median Absolute Deviation ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Combined Effects ◽

Absolute Deviation ◽

Dead Fish ◽

The Dead

AbstractGhost fishing is the capacity of lost traps to continue to catch and kill animals. In the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery in Florida, the effects of ghost fishing are of particular concern, given the estimated 10s of 1000s of traps lost annually. We distributed 40 each of the three types of lobster traps (wire, wood–wire hybrid, and wood slat) at three locations in the Florida Keys to simulate ghost fishing. Divers monitored these traps biweekly for 1 year then monthly for two additional years, recording the time ghost traps remained intact and continued to fish, as well as the number of live and dead lobsters and other animals in each trap. Wood slat and hybrid traps remained intact and fished for 509 ± 97 (median ± median absolute deviation) and 480 ± 142 d, respectively. Wire traps fished significantly longer (779.5 ± 273.5 d, p < 0.001), and several fished until the end of the experiment (1071 d). Traps in Florida Bay fished longer (711.5 ± 51.5 d) than traps inshore (509 ± 94.5 d) and offshore (381 ± 171 days; p < 0.001) in the Atlantic Ocean. More lobsters were observed in hybrid traps (mean = 4.81 ± 0.03 s.e.) than in wood slat (3.85 ± 0.16) or wire traps (3.17 ± 0.03; F = 40.15, d.f. = 2, p < 0.001). Wire traps accounted for 83% of fish confined overall and 74% of the dead fish observed in traps. Ghost traps in Florida Bay and Atlantic inshore killed 6.8 ± 1.0 and 6.3 ± 0.88 lobsters per trap annually, while Atlantic offshore traps killed fewer (3.0 ± 0.69) lobsters, likely as a result of lower lobster abundance in traps. The combined effects of greater lobster mortality and greater abundance of lost traps in inshore areas account for the majority of the estimated 637 622 ± 74 367 (mean ± s.d.) lobsters that die in ghost traps annually.

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Normal bacterial flora of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus and its possible role in shell disease

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf01092 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 52 (8) ◽

pp. 1401 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Lauren Porter ◽

Mark Butler IV ◽

Robert H. Reeves

Keyword(s):

Marine Bacteria ◽

Bacterial Flora ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Vibrio Species ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Natural Flora ◽

Shell Disease ◽

Normal Bacterial Flora

Recent surveys of the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas revealed the presence of necrotic carapace lesions, which are commonly associated with bacterial shell disease in other crustaceans. To determine the etiology of these lesions, we obtained bacterial samples from diseased and nondiseased lobsters. Bacteria from these samples were isolated and identified by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. At least 600 bases of the 16S rRNA gene were aligned with sequences from known strains of marine bacteria. The analysis showed that the majority of the strains isolated from diseased and nondiseased lobsters are within the Vibrionaceae, a common family of marine bacteria. The majority of isolates identified as Vibrio species are clustered in a monophyletic group that does not include any of the known Vibrio species. Genbank BLAST analysis also confirmed these isolates as Vibrio and confirmed that they are not closely related to any known Vibrio species. These results suggest that the normal flora of P. argus is unique. The association of these bacteria both with lesions and with nondiseased animals suggests that the natural flora is responsible for the lesions seen in P. argus.

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First record of Carcinonemertes conanobrieni Simpson, Ambrosio & Baeza, 2017 (Nemertea, Carcinonemertidae), an egg predator of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804), on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia

Check List ◽

10.15560/14.2.425 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 425-429

Author(s):

Jaime A. Gonzalez-Cueto ◽

Sigmer Quiroga

Keyword(s):

New Record ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Florida Keys ◽

First Record ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Caribbean Coast ◽

Egg Predator ◽

The Caribbean ◽

First Time

Carcinonemertes conanobrieni Simpson, Ambrosio & Baeza, 2017, an egg predator of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804), is recorded for the first time in Colombian waters and the Caribbean. Worms were isolated from an egg mass of a lobster caught at the Gulf of Salamanca, Magdalena. Little is known about the distribution of this species and currently this record from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia is the only one outside of the Florida Keys, USA. The new record suggests that this parasite might be present in the entire Caribbean Sea.

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