Am. Arce et al., ARTIFICIAL SHELTERS (CASITAS) AS HABITATS FOR JUVENILE SPINY LOBSTERSPANULIRUS-ARGUS IN THE MEXICAN CARIBBEAN, Marine ecology. Progress series, 158, 1997, pp. 217-224
The cryptic and shelter-seeking behaviour of spiny lobsters Panulirus
argus Latreille prompted the use of artificial shelters to examine the
juvenile population structure at Cayos-Contoy, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
We tested the hypothesis that habitat type had no influence on shelter
occupancy. The artificial shelters used were concrete structures with
a PVC frame (mini-size casitas). Macrofauna and potential predators a
ssociated with the mini-casitas were also quantified. The size of the
lobsters harbored by these structures emphasized the importance of the
Cayos-Contoy as a nursery habitat for P. argus. Differences in mini-c
asita occupancy by juveniles and the association between habitat and l
obster size groups suggest that availability of natural habitats had a
n influence on casita occupancy. The periodic removal of all lobsters
from the mini-casitas resulted in the vacancies being occupied mostly
by a size-specific group of juveniles. Transitional (16 to 25 mm carap
ace length, CL) and post-algal (26 to 35 mm CL) juvenile stages recrui
ted mainly to vegetated habitats, with larger lobsters occupying patch
reef habitats. Mini-casita occupancy was dominated by transitional an
d post-algal early juvenile stages (41.1 and 34.6 % respectively). The
fact that the highest percentage of mini-casita occupancy is by trans
itional juvenile P. argus is considered to represent a 'population bot
tleneck' effect.