Fishery and life history of spot-tail mantis shrimp, Squilla mantis (Crustacea: Stomatopoda), in the Gulf of Cadiz (eastern central Atlantic)

Squilla mantis is an economically important species that is mainly caught by the Sanlucar de Barrameda bottom trawl fleet in the Gulf of Cadiz (eastern central Atlantic). Annual landings have ranged between 24 t in 1999 and 600 t in 2003, with a mean value of 269 t for the period 1984-2010. Catches...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yolanda Vila, Ignacio Sobrino, Mª Paz Jiménez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2013-03-01
Series:Scientia Marina
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1440
Description
Summary:Squilla mantis is an economically important species that is mainly caught by the Sanlucar de Barrameda bottom trawl fleet in the Gulf of Cadiz (eastern central Atlantic). Annual landings have ranged between 24 t in 1999 and 600 t in 2003, with a mean value of 269 t for the period 1984-2010. Catches have a marked seasonality, peaking in winter and showing the lowest values in summer. Larval abundance was negatively correlated with depth and distance from the coast but positively correlated with sea surface temperature. No correlation with sea surface salinity was found. The highest larval abundance was observed in June at 20-25 m depth, while adults were mostly found at 30-35 m depth. This species is mainly concentrated in the area of influence of the Guadalquivir River but is very scarce in the rest of the study area. The maturation of the ovary and the activity of the sexual accessory glands begin in early winter. The population is age-structured in three year classes and females reach first maturity within the second year class, at 23.7 mm carapace length.
ISSN:0214-8358
1886-8134