Larval stages of crustacean species of interest for conservation and fishing exploitation in the western Mediterranean

Asvin P Torres,Antonina Dos Santos,Francisco Alemany,Enric Massutí

doi:10.3989/scimar.03749.26d

Abstract

Decapod crustaceans are the main target species of deep water bottom trawl fisheries in the western Mediterranean. Despite their importance for fisheries and conservation, little is known about their larval development, especially in the case of deep water species. In this paper we present new information on the occurrence and morphology of larval stages for some species of commercial interest based on samples collected off the Balearic Islands. Mesozooplankton sampling was carried out using depth-stratified sampling devices at two stations located on the continental shelf break and middle slope, in the northwest and south of Mallorca in late autumn 2009 and summer 2010. We describe in detail the second mysis stage of the red shrimp Aristeus antennatus , not previously known, and the first larval stage of the slipper lobster Scyllarides latus , poorly described almost a hundred years ago. We also report the second finding of larvae of the spider crab Maja squinado and the first capture from the field of larval stages of the rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris and slipper lobster in the Mediterranean.

Highlights

Decapod crustaceans such as Nephrops norvegicus and some Dendrobranchiata shrimps (Aristeus antennatus, Aristeomorpha foliacea and Parapenaeus longirostris) are the main target species of the deep water bottom trawl fishery carried out in the western Mediterranean
Other decapod crustaceans, such as lobsters, spiny and slipper lobsters, and spider crabs, are species of interest for the small-scale fisheries (Goñi and Latrouite 2005), during the last few decades some of these taxa have almost disappeared in catches (Bannister 1993, Spanier and Lavalli 1998)
The aim of the present study is to provide new information on the occurrence and morphology of larval stages of the red shrimp Aristeus antennatus, the rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris, the slipper lobster Scyllarides latus and the Mediterranean spider crab Maja squinado, all species that are important for fisheries management and conservation purposes

Summary

Introduction

Decapod crustaceans such as Nephrops norvegicus and some Dendrobranchiata shrimps (Aristeus antennatus, Aristeomorpha foliacea and Parapenaeus longirostris) are the main target species of the deep water bottom trawl fishery carried out in the western Mediterranean Other decapod crustaceans, such as lobsters, spiny and slipper lobsters, and spider crabs, are species of interest for the small-scale fisheries (Goñi and Latrouite 2005), during the last few decades some of these taxa have almost disappeared in catches (Bannister 1993, Spanier and Lavalli 1998). While long-term information is usually available on the fisheries and adult populations for most commercially important species, larval records are much scarcer or even completely lacking. The study of planktonic stages and the larval transport modeling of deep-sea benthic invertebrates is one of the most efficient and economical ways to acquire this kind of information, especially because studies on adult benthic populations require a greater investment (Yearsley and Sigwart 2011). With larval development known for only a small number of species (Harvey et al 2002), there is a need for more research on these developmental stages

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