Munidopsis armata ( 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 : 405

Munidopsis armata ( A. Milne-Edwards, 1880)

Munidopsis armata has previously been reported as Elasmonotus armata (see Baba et al. 2008) and is known from specimens collected in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in depths of 677 to 1144 m ( Milne-Edwards 1880; Chace 1942). Specimens were collected in July and December from the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in depths of 625 to 1280 m. Three males were measured with CW from 8.1 to 9.1 mm. Six non-ovigerous females were measured with CW from 4.8 to 8.6 mm. Five ovigerous females were measured with a CW range of 7.7 to 9.8 mm. Males and females were not significantly different in size (t-test, df = 12, t = -1.140, p = 0.277); nonovigerous and ovigerous females did not significantly differ in size (t-test, df = 9, t = -1.864, p = 0.095). Ovigerous females were collected in July and August, but since these were the only two months collected material was available ( Fig. 12 E), no conclusions of reproductive timing could be made. Females had between four and eight eggs with the average egg diameters between 1.39 mm and 1.53 mm. Fecundity was not significantly correlated with CW (R2 = 0.75, p = 0.333). Average egg width was not correlated with CW (R2 = 0.0274, p = 0.894).

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.