
%0 Journal Article
%A Phillips, BF 
%A Joll, LM 
%A Sandland, RL 
%A Wright, D 
%T Longevity, reproductive condition and growth of the western rock lobster, <I>Panulirus cygnus</I> george, reared in aquaria
%J Marine and Freshwater Research
%D 1983/06/01
%V 34
%N 3
%P 419-429
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9830419
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MF9830419 
%X Rock lobsters have been reared in the laboratory from the puerulus stage up to 13 years of age, under conditions of a constant temperature of 25ºC or ambient temperatures (mean 20ºC, range 15-26ºC). The natural death of a male held at ambient temperatures occurred at 6 years of age, and at 25ºC natural deaths occurred at 6 years. However, two males, both 12 years of age, one held at 25ºC and the other at ambient temperatures, are still alive. Natural deaths of females occurred at 7 and 12 years of age at 25ºC and 7 years at ambient temperatures. After reaching maturity, females held at 25ºC spawned repetitively. The female that survived to 12 years of age spawned 47 times and produced an estimated 22 &#215; 106 eggs during her lifetime. A fresh mating was not required for the fertilization of each batch of eggs spawned. The two surviving males both showed a change in growth pattern at approximately 8 years of age. This event was correlated with a behavioural change: they attacked and usually killed all moulting females held in the same aquarium. A new method of representing growth data for rock lobsters by fitting empirical stochastic differential equation models to each of a series of growth phases is described. 
