De. Pollock et R. Melvillesmith, DECAPOD LIFE-HISTORIES AND REPRODUCTIVE DYNAMICS IN RELATION TO OCEANOGRAPHY OFF SOUTHERN AFRICA, South African journal of marine sciences, 13, 1993, pp. 205-212
The reproductive dynamics of seven commercially important southern Afr
ican decapod crustaceans are contrasted in terms of their lifetime egg
production per recruit (E/R). Despite having very different larval li
fe histories, both the shallow-water continental shelf spiny lobsters
(Panulirus homarus rubellus and Jasus lalandii) and crab (Scylla serra
ta) have substantially smaller eggs and higher values of egg per recru
it than the deep-water spiny lobsters Palinurus delagoae and P. gilchr
isti or the crab Chaceon maritae. A single shallow-water oceanic islan
d spiny lobster (Jasus tristani) has similar egg characteristics (size
and E/R values) to those of the deep-water lobsters. The hypothesis i
s presented that large E/R values in the shallow-water spiny lobsters
and crabs may be an evolutionary response to high rates of mortality o
f larval and juvenile stages in the nearshore coastal environment. Sma
ll size of eggs is considered to be an adaptation to allow for larger
brood sizes and greater egg production in the shallow-water species.