Abstract
Larval export strategy as an indication of ontogenetic migrations towards open sea of the fiddler crab Leptuca leptodactyla (Rathbun, in Rankin, 1898) (Crustacea, Ocypodidae) from Guaratuba Bay, southern Brazil
Highlights
Most brachyuran crabs have a biphasic life cycle, consisting of a variable number of planktonic stages that precedes their benthic existence (Anger, 2001; 2006)
The zoea larvae were obtained from 23 ovigerous females of L. leptodactyla that were collected in the vicinity of the mangrove area of Barra do Saí, Hydrographic Basin of Guaratuba, southern Brazil (26°00’25”S 48°36’25”N), during the low tide on 10 January 2017
Burrows in the occurrence site of the population were explored with the aid of a garden shovel, and only females bearing a dark grayish colored egg mass were manually captured, as this color indicates proximity of egg hatching. These females were transported in plastic containers to the Center for Marine Aquaculture and Repopulation (CAMAR) of Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), a marine aquaculture laboratory situated at Leste Beach, municipality of Pontal do Paraná, southern Brazil
Summary
Most brachyuran crabs have a biphasic life cycle, consisting of a variable number of planktonic stages that precedes their benthic existence (Anger, 2001; 2006). Larvae of Minuca vocator (Herbst, 1804) cultivated in salinities of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 PSU, showed 100% mortality in salinities below 5 PSU This mortality indicates that M. vocator has a dispersion strategy of exporting its larvae to higher salinity coastal waters through ebb tide currents, returning to estuarine area as megalopa for recruitment (Simith et al, 2012). It is usually found in the estuarine intertidal zone that is flooded by waters with salinities higher than 18 PSU (mean = 21.3 ± 2.9 PSU, see review in Thurman et al, 2013). Due to the occurrence of adult populations in saltier areas of Guaratuba Bay, we hypothesized that L. leptodactyla larvae are exported to the open sea environment
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