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Can the pattern of juvenile recruitment and population structure of the speckled swimming crab A renaeus cribrarius ( D ecapoda: B rachyura) be determined by geographical variations?
Author(s) -
Andrade Luciana Segura,
Frameschi Israel Fernandes,
Castilho Antônio Leão,
Costa Rogério Caetano,
Fransozo Adilson
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/maec.12188
Subject(s) - juvenile , bycatch , carapace , population , population structure , biology , sex ratio , shrimp , fishing , decapoda , fishery , crustacean , zoology , ecology , demography , sociology
This study evaluated the effect of environmental stimuli and selective pressures in different geographical areas along a latitudinal gradient, on the juvenile recruitment, population structure, and sex ratio of the speckled swimming crab A renaeus cribrarius . Samples were collected monthly during 1 year in three locations along the B razilian coast: M acaé, state of R io de J aneiro ( MAC , 22°47′ S, 41°45′ W); U batuba, S ão P aulo ( UBA , 23°27′ S, 44°58′ W); and S ão F rancisco do S ul, S anta C atarina ( SFS , 26°08′ S, 48°34′ W). The specimens of A . cribrarius were identified, counted, sexed, and measured for maximum carapace width ( CW ). The largest juvenile found was in UBA (47.7 ± 1.36 mm); and the largest adult females and males in MAC (74.26 ± 0.93 and 77.04 ± 0.79 mm, respectively). Recruitment in MAC was continuous, whereas in UBA and SFS , recruitment showed seasonal characteristics. The sex ratio was skewed toward females only in UBA ; in MAC and SFS , males and females were present in equal proportions. These results indicate that geographical variations can cause differences in the recruitment and population structure of A . cribrarius . These regional differences call attention to the necessity for improved management plans and control of shrimp fishing, which can affect population patterns such as juvenile recruitment, population structure and life history of the target species and species that are caught in bycatch from shrimping, such as the swimming crab A . cribrarius .