Development in culture of larval spotted spiny lobster Panulirus guttatus (Latreille, 1804) (Decapoda: Achelata: Palinuridae)

Abstract

AbstractThere is little information on the early life history of the spotted spiny lobster Panulirus guttatus (Latreille, 1804), an obligate reef resident, despite its growing importance as a fishery resource in the Caribbean and as a significant predator. We cultured newly-hatched P. guttatus larvae (phyllosomata) in the laboratory for the first time, and the growth, survival, and morphological descriptions are reported through 324 days after hatch (DAH). Phyllosomata were cultured at 25 °C in a flow-through seawater system within a series of custom 80 l plankton-kreisel tanks and provided with ongrown Artemia and mussel gonad. Mean body length (BL) of phyllosomata was 1.70 mm (N = 10) at hatch and increased linearly to 22.20 mm at 226 DAH (N = 3). Morphological characters from a total of 164 sampled phyllosomata were ascribed to nine distinct developmental stages (stages I-IX), and described and illustrated. Although no final stage phyllosomata (stage X) were obtained, the BL in the final stage was extrapolated at 39.6 mm using a Gompertz function, expressing the relationship between phyllosoma stages and BL. The total duration of phyllosomata for P. guttatus was estimated at 410 d, with the 5th and 95th percentiles at 334 and 526 d, respectively. Our data suggest that P. guttatus has a larger body size in the final larval stage and a substantial pelagic larval duration compared with other related panulirid lobsters in its geographic range. The described morphological and biological attributes associated with the early-life history for this species can inform future studies, and add value to models of distribution and population connectivity.