ABSTRACT:
Spatial distribution and egg production of squat lobsters is examined from specimens deposited in the collection of the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP), Brazil. A total of 1,346 specimens of squat lobsters were analyzed, out of which 169 were ovigerous females. Ovigerous females contained ten species of Munididae (n = 165) and three of Munidopsidae (n = 4). Eleven of the thirteen studied species were distributed along the Brazilian coast, while two of the remaining species in other marine regions. The analysis of bathymetric distribution revealed the presence of four species on the continental shelf (< 200 m depth: M. spinifrons, M. pusilla, M. irrasa, M. flinti), two on the first layer of the continental slope (200-500 m: Munida forceps, A. longipes) and five distributed between 500 and 1,048 m (M. erinacea, M. constricta, M. valida, M. microphthalma, M. transtridens). Overall, species belonging to Munididae produced a higher number of eggs (554 ± 619 eggs) but of minor size (0.48 ± 0.120 mm) than species of Munidopsidae (13 ± 10 eggs; 1.12 ± 0.337 mm, respectively). Such tendency is consistent with the phylogeny of both clades whose common origin is reflected in morphological similarities both in larval and adult forms, but not in terms of the reproductive strategy that clearly separates the species belonging to these families. Results also demonstrated that egg size in squat lobsters is strongly associated with depth, which suggests the strong influence of habitat on the duration of larval development of these species.
KEYWORDS
Fecundity; egg size; Crustacea; South Western Atlantic
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