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Rock face incline and height above sea bed of holes used as shelters by pueruli and juvenile Japanese spiny lobsters Panulirus japonicus

1996; Volume: 25; Linguagem: Inglês

10.18353/crustacea.25.0_121

2433-0973

Christopher P. Norman, Yoshitaka Morikawa,

Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

A predominantly vertical reef face adjacent to the Banda Marine Laboratory of Tokyo University of Fisheries, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, was regularly surveyed for pueruli and juvenile Panulirusjaponicus (Von Siebold) over a 21 month period. The height above the sea bed and the incline of the reef face at which pueruli and juvenile lobsters occurred in holes during the daytime were recorded. The rock face (53.2m^2) ranged in height from 0.9-1.4m above the sea bed, however ≈ 85% was between 1.0-1.1m. Pueruli (postlarvae) and first instar juveniles were distributed non-randomly on the rock face, with near horizontal sections of the reef and areas immediately adjacent to the sand sediment being less favored than more vertical sections of the reef. Small juveniles [8-20mm carapace length (CL)] generally showed similar shelter preferences as pueruli and first instar juveniles. Larger juveniles (20-40mm CL), however, showed a reduced shelter preference in relation to both height above the sea bed and the angle of rock face incline and this appears to be related to limitations in the availability of holes for this size group on the reef face. Most pueruli and first instar juveniles were observed in an inverted (ventral side up) position (91.5%) in holes, this percentage decreased markedly as lobsters grew.