Agononida longipes ( 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 : 391

Agononida longipes ( A. Milne-Edwards, 1880)

Agononida longipes was reported as Munida longipes ( Milne-Edwards 1880) (see Baba et al. 2008) and was the most common galatheoid in collections with 826 individuals present. It ranges from Colombia through the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico to Baltimore Canyon, and in the Middle Atlantic Bight in depths from 40 to 741 m ( Milne-Edwards 1880; Chace 1942; Wenner 1982; Campos et al. 2005; Baba et al. 2008). The specimens measured in this study were collected in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in depths from 40 to 658 m ( Fig. 7 ). Specimens were collected during every month of the year except December ( Fig. 8 A). A total of 365 males, 328 non-ovigerous females, and 125 ovigerous females was available in the collections; 235 males, 213 non-ovigerous females and 76 ovigerous females were measured. Ovigerous females (CW from 8.6 to 15.3 mm) were significantly larger than non-ovigerous females (CW from 4.0 to 16.2 mm) (t-test, df = 287, t = -4.562, p<0.001). Females were also larger than males; male CW ranged from 4.7 to 17.4 mm (t-test, df = 528, t = 3.985, p<0.001). The number of eggs and the CW of A. longipes were not significantly correlated (R2 = 0.256, p <0.001); egg numbers ranged from 39 to 3046 eggs per female. The average egg diameter was also not correlated with the sizes of the ovigerous females (R2 = 0.0385, p = 0.096); average egg diameter for each female ranged from 0.35 to 0.59 mm. Ovigerous specimens were collected in every month except February, September, and December. Ovigerous females previously have been reported from January, September, and November, with the smallest ovigerous female having a CL of 11 mm; egg numbers ranged from 2693 to 9327 eggs with sizes between 0.49 mm and 0.68 mm ( Wenner 1982). Correlations between fecundity and size were not reported, but males and females have been reported as significantly different in size ( Wenner 1982).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution of each species of the Munididae used in analysis. Each symbol is a collection location and different species (see legend).

FIGURE 8. Number of specimens of each species collected for each month. Gray bars are males, white bars are females, and black bars are ovigerous females.