Fecundity in the western rock lobster Panulirus longipes cygnus (George) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae)

Abstract

Samples of egg-bearing females of P. longipes cygnus (George) were taken from the Abrolhos Islands, Fremantle, and Jurien Bay areas and divided into two groups (viz. "newly spawned" or "late stage") depending on the extent of development which had taken place in the eggs. The number of eggs carried by each individual was then counted.

Fecundity is found not to vary significantly (at the 10% level) between the three localities, and so all localities are combined to give pooled estimates of fecundity for newly spawned and late stage eggs. A small amount of egg loss occurs during incubation, but this is not significant at the 10% level. The percentage of infertile eggs is shown to be independent of carapace length.

A linear relationship between carapace length and number of eggs produced is found for P. longipes cygnus, and this type of relationship appears to hold for many of the members of the family Palinuridae in contrast to the non-linear relationship found in the Homaridae.