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Population structure, fecundity and embryo loss of the sea grass shrimp Latreutes pymoeus (Decapoda: Hippolytidae) at Inhaca Island, Mozambique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2007

Gil Penha-Lopes
Affiliation:
Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, IMAR, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Estrada do Guincho, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
Paulo Torres
Affiliation:
Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, IMAR, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Estrada do Guincho, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
Adriano Macia
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, CP 257 Maputo, Moçambique
José Paula
Affiliation:
Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, IMAR, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Estrada do Guincho, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal

Abstract

Latreutes pymoeus is a poorly studied tropical and sub-tropical shrimp species that mainly lives on sea grass beds. Samples were collected from sea grass beds of Inhaca Island, Mozambique, during August 2005 at neap/spring and low/high tides. Specimens were identified, sexed, counted and morphometric measurements were made. Ovigerous females were classified as small (carapace length (CL): 2.7–3.2 mm), medium (CL: 3.3–3.8 mm) and large (CL: 3.9–4.4 mm). Embryo masses were carefully removed from the pleopods with forceps, eggs staged and counted. On average, about 20% more males were found than females (0.64 ±0.25 and 0.56 ±0.28 ind m-2, respectively), but males were significantly smaller (2.25 ±0.32 and 2.60 ±0.47 mm CL for males and females, respectively). At 3.1 mm CL at least 50% of the females found carried embryos in the pleopods. Average (±SD) brood size increased significantly with female length (76 ±18, 133 ±64 and 205 ±61, for small, medium and large ovigerous females). The number of embryos decreased significantly over the incubation period for each size-class of the shrimp. Brood loss from embryonic Stage I to Stage IV for small, medium and large shrimp were 19.8%, 36.5% and 41.8%, respectively. Although an increase in brood loss was observed with increasing shrimp size, senescence did not seem to occur since larger shrimps carried a higher number of embryos and negative allometry was not recorded. Mean embryo volume, in the same development stage, was not significantly different among the small, medium and large shrimp, increasing significantly from 0.014 mm3 to 0.029 mm3 from the first to last embryonic stages.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2007 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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