scholarly journals The effect of parental size on spermatophore production, egg quality, fertilization success, and larval characteristics in the Caribbean Spiny lobster, Panulirus argus

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. i115-i123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Butler ◽  
Alison Macdiarmid ◽  
Gaya Gnanalingam
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Panulirus Argus ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Larval Quality ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Spermatophore Production

Abstract The average size of spiny lobsters (Decapoda; Palinuridae) has decreased worldwide over the past few decades. Market forces coupled with minimum size limits compel fishers to target the largest individuals. Males are targeted disproportionately as a consequence of sexual dimorphism in spiny lobster size (i.e. males grow larger than females) and because of protections for ovigerous females. Therefore, overexploitation of males has led to sperm limitation in several decapod populations with serious repercussions for reproductive success. In the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, little is known about the effect of reduced male size on fertilization success or the role that individual size plays in gamete and larval quality. We conducted a series of laboratory experiments to test the relationship between male size and spermatophore production over multiple mating events and to determine whether spermatophore reduction and female size affected fertilization success or larval attributes in P. argus in the Florida Keys, FL (USA). We found that over consecutive matings, larger males consistently produced spermatophores of a greater weight and area than smaller males, although size-specific differences in sperm cell density were undetected and probably obscured by high variance in the data. Where spermatophores were experimentally reduced to mimic the decline in spermatophore size with declining male size, fertilization success (the number of fertilized eggs/total number of eggs extruded) declined, indicating that sperm availability is indeed limited. No maternal size effects on egg size or quality (C:N ratio) or larval quality (size, swimming speed, mortality) were observed. Our results demonstrate the importance of maintaining large males in populations of P. argus to ensure fertilization success and caution against their overexploitation through fishing, which may severely reduce reproductive success and thus population sustainability.

scholarly journals Directly ageing the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus with validated band counts from gastric mill ossicles

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 442-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaya Gnanalingam ◽  
Mark J Butler ◽  
Thomas R Matthews ◽  
Emily Hutchinson ◽  
Raouf Kilada
Keyword(s):  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Panulirus Argus ◽  
Gastric Mill ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
First Time ◽  
Reader Experience

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.

Ongrowing of Juvenile Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus (Latreille, 1804) (Decapoda, Palinuridae), in Portable Sea Enclosures

Crustaceana ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 958-973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Lozano-Alvarez
Keyword(s):  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Maximum Growth ◽  
Panulirus Argus ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
The Third ◽  
Unit Value ◽  
Mexican Caribbean ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Two Stages

AbstractThe spiny lobster catch from Bahia de la Ascensión, a large bay on the central coast of the Mexican Caribbean, is composed mainly of young adults and large juveniles of Panulirus argus. The fishery in this bay is based on artificial shelters called "casitas". A substantial part of the lobsters found beneath the casitas is of sublegal size (minimum size limit ~ 74 mm carapace length, CL). The possibility of ongrowing sublegal juveniles in portable sea enclosures to maximize the harvestable biomass was explored. The enclosures (3 x 3 x 1 m) were installed in shallow depths in the bay. Juveniles taken from nearby casitas were introduced in the enclosures and kept for different periods. Lobsters were fed with live molluscs and fish remains and were provided with suitable shelters. Experiments were conducted in two stages, in 1992 and 1993. Growth in size (CL) and in harvestable biomass (weight of legal-size lobsters) was examined. Maximum growth rates, lower percentages of mortality, and higher increases in harvestable biomass of lobsters were obtained after about 45 days. Confinement periods longer than 45 days resulted in reduced growth and higher mortality. Observations on lobster behaviour showed an increase in aggressive encounters and dominance displays from the third week of captivity onwards, which could be the main cause for the increase in mortality. The alternative of ongrowing sublegal juveniles for short periods (45 days), in conjuction with the casita system, could help increase the unit value of the catch.

Problems and Perspectives Regarding Recruitment of Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus argus, to the South Florida Fishery

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 2099-2106 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Carapace Length ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
International Management ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Panulirus Argus ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Juvenile Growth ◽  
Larval Recruitment ◽  
Yield Per Recruit

Inappropriate minimum size, illegal harvest, fishery-induced juvenile growth retardation and mortality, and excessive effort have reduced reproductive contributions and depressed yield-per-recruit in the overcapitalized south Florida spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery. Measures recommended to improve yield-per-recruit are as follows: increase minimum legal size to 85–90 mm carapace length; require escape gaps in traps; eliminate possession of sublegal lobsters aboard vessels; prohibit harvest in nurseries; reduce fishing effort; improve enforcement of fishery regulations; and initiate programs to educate fishermen regarding impacts of fishery practices. International management is recommended to assure larval recruitment among Pan-Caribbean stocks.

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

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 807 ◽  
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.

Size influences male mating success in the alfalfa blotch leafminer (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

2001 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
pp. 717-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arild Andersen ◽  
Jeremy N. McNeil
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Larval Competition ◽  
Female Reproduction ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Female Life History ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Alfalfa Blotch Leafminer ◽  
Agromyza Frontella

Male size is an important parameter in mate choice for many species and has been associated with such female life-history parameters as increased fecundity or fertility and larger progeny (Phelan and Baker 1986; Savalli and Fox 1998, 1999; Brown 1999). In the alfalfa blotch leafminer, Agromyza frontella (Rondani), intraspecific larval competition may significantly influence the size of both males and females (Quiring and McNeil 1984a). The influence of female size on female reproductive success has been studied (Quiring and McNeil 1984b, 1984c), but to date, no attention has been given to the possible effects of male size. The objectives of this study were to determine if differences in male size, the result of intraspecific larval competition, affected male longevity and reproductive success, as well as various parameters of female reproduction.

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