Munidopsis abbreviata ( A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 )

Kilgour, Morgan J. & Shirley, Thomas C., 2014, Reproductive biology of galatheoid and chirostyloid (Crustacea: Decapoda) squat lobsters from the Gulf of Mexico, Zootaxa 3754 (4), pp. 381-419 : 404

Munidopsis abbreviata ( A. Milne-Edwards, 1880)

Munidopsis abbreviata has been reported as Galathodes abbreviatus and Munidopsis abbreviatus (see Baba et al. 2008) in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in depths of 860 to 1343 m ( Milne-Edwards 1880; Chace 1942). Specimens were available in every month except February, March, and October ( Fig. 12 C) from the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in depths of 400 to 1280 m. Fifteen males were measured, seven non-ovigerous females, and eight ovigerous females; male CW ranged from 10.3 to 19.7 mm, female CW ranged from 4.9 to 15.6 mm, and ovigerous female CW ranged from 11.9 to 20 mm. Males and females were not significantly different in size (t-test, df = 28, t = 1.126, p = 0.270), but ovigerous females were significantly larger than non-ovigerous females (t-test, df = 13, t = 2.454, p = 0.029). Ovigerous specimens were collected from April to September; this suggests that there is seasonality to ovigery for this species. Females carried between four and 59 eggs with average egg diameters between 1.87 mm and 2.16 mm. Fecundity was not correlated with CW (R2 = 0.365, p = 0.113) nor was the average egg size correlated to CW (R2 = 0.00245, p = 0.907).

Figures

FIGURE 12. Number of specimens of each species collected for each month. Gray bars are males, white bars are females, and black bars are ovigerous females.