Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T19:19:14.546Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Stranding and mortality of pelagic crustaceans in the western Indian Ocean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2015

Evgeny V. Romanov*
Affiliation:
PROSPER Project (PROSpection et habitat des grands PElagiques de la ZEE de La Réunion), CAP RUN – ARDA, Magasin n°10 – Port Ouest, 97420, Le Port, Île de la Réunion, France
Michel Potier
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR 248 MARBEC (IRD/IFREMER/UM/CNRS), Avenue Jean Monnet, CS 30171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France
R. Charles Anderson
Affiliation:
Manta Marine Pvt. Ltd, P.O. Box 2074, Malé, Republic of Maldives
Jean Pascal Quod
Affiliation:
Agence pour la Recherche et la Valorisation Marines (ARVAM-Pareto), 16 rue Albert Lougnon, Technopole de la Réunion, 97490, Sainte Clotilde, Île de la Réunion, France
Frédéric Ménard
Affiliation:
IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (Aix-Marseille Université/CNRS/IRD/Université de Toulon), 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France
Shahaama A. Sattar
Affiliation:
Marine Research Centre, H. Whitewaves, Malé, Republic of Maldives
Peter Hogarth
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: E.V. Romanov, PROSPER Project (PROSpection et habitat des grands PElagiques de la ZEE de La Réunion), CAP RUN – ARDA, Magasin n°10 – Port Ouest, 97420, Le Port, Île de la Réunion, France email: [email protected]

Abstract

Recent observations of unusual mass stranding and mortality of two Indian Ocean crustacean species, the swimming crab Charybdis smithii and the mantis shrimp Natosquilla investigatoris, are documented and analysed. Strandings of C. smithii were observed for the first time in the equatorial Indian Ocean, the main area of its pelagic distribution. Strandings of mantis shrimps are reported from throughout the western Indian Ocean; occurrences of mass stranding in the Maldives Archipelago mark an extension of the known range of N. investigatoris into the central Indian Ocean. Mortality of crabs probably represents a ‘catastrophic event’. In contrast, mantis shrimp strandings, which were always associated with a sudden increase of its biomass (‘blooms’), are apparently post-reproduction mortalities indicating potential semelparity for this species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ahyong, S.T. (2004) Mantis shrimps (Crustacea: Stomatopoda). In Poore, G.C.B. (ed.) Marine decapod crustacea of Southern Australia: a guide to identification. Collingwood, VIC: CSIRO Publishing, pp. 517548.Google Scholar
Anonymous (2002) Mass stranding of mantis shrimp. Zwazo: Seychelles Conservation Magazine. Nature Seychelles 10, 15.Google Scholar
Apel, M. and Spiridonov, V.A. (1998) Taxonomy and zoogeography of the portunid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae) of the Arabian Gulf and adjacent waters. In Krupp, F. and Mahnert, V. (eds) Fauna of Arabia. Basle, Switzerland: National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Pro Entomologia c/o Natural History Museum, Basle, Switzerland. pp. 159331, figs 1–117.Google Scholar
Asseid, B.S., Drapeau, L., Crawford, R.J., Dyer, B.M., Hija, A., Mwinyi, A.A., Shinula, P. and Upfold, L. (2006) The food of three seabirds at Latham Island, Tanzania, with observations on foraging by masked boobies Sula dactylatra. African Journal of Marine Science 26, 109114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aurioles-Gamboa, D., Castro-González, M.-I. and Pérez-Flores, R. (1994) Annual mass strandings of pelagic red crabs, Pleuroncodes planipes (Crustacea: Anomura: Galatheidae), in Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Fishery Bulletin 92, 464470.Google Scholar
AzCherNIRO (1972) Report on the work performed by AzCherNIRO experts in the Fisheries Research and Training Centre, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) (May 1970-March 1972)/Otchet o rabote specialistov AzCherNIRO v uchebnom i nauchno issledovatel'skom tsentre rybolovstva NDRJ (mai 1970 g. – mart 1972 g.). Azov-Black Seas Scientific-Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (AzCherNIRO), Kerch, Crimea, USSR. 320 pp. (in Russian).Google Scholar
Balasubramanian, C.P. and Suseelan, C. (1998) Reproductive biology of the female deepwater crab Charybdis smithii (Brachyura: Portunidae) from the Indian seas. Asian Fisheries Science 10, 211222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnard, K.H. (1950) Descriptive list of South African stomatopod crustacea (mantis shrimps). Annals of the South African Museum 38, 838864.Google Scholar
Billett, D.S.M., Bett, B.J., Jacobs, C.L., Rouse, I.P. and Wigham, B.D. (2006) Mass deposition of jellyfish in the deep Arabian Sea. Limnology and Oceanography 51, 20772083.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branch, G.M. (1984) Changes in intertidal and shallow-water communities of the south and west coasts of South Africa during the 1982/1983 temperature anomaly. South African Journal of Science 80, 6165.Google Scholar
Branch, G.M., Griffiths, C.L., Branch, M.L. and Beckley, L.E. (2002) Two oceans. A guide to the marine life of southern Africa. 5th edition. Cape Town, Johannesburg: David Philip.Google Scholar
Caldwell, R.L. & Dingle, H. (1976) Stomatopods. Scientific American 19, 126133.Google Scholar
Chopra, B. (1939) Stomatopoda. Scientific Reports of the John Murray Expedition 6, 137181.Google Scholar
Christiansen, B. and Boetius, A. (2000) Mass sedimentation of the swimming crab Charybdis smithii (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the deep Arabian Sea. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 47, 26732685.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cockcroft, A.C., van Zyl, D. and Hutchings, L. (2008) Large-scale changes in the spatial distribution of South African West Coast rock lobsters: an overview. African Journal of Marine Science 30, 149159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daryanabard, R. and Dawson, M.N. (2008) Jellyfish blooms: Crambionella orsini (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, 2002–2003. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 88, 477483.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Della Croce, N.B. and Holthuis, L.B. (1965) Swarming of Charybdis (Goniohellenus) edwardsi Leene et Buitendijk in the Indian Ocean (Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae). Bollettino dei Musei e degli Istituti Biologici della Università di Genova 33, 3338.Google Scholar
Fonteneau, A., Ariz, J., Hallier, J.-P., Lucas, V., Pallares, P. and Potier, M. (2004) The Indian Ocean yellowfin stock and fisheries in 2003: overview and discussion of the present situation. Paper presented at the Sixth Session of the IOTC Working Party on Tropical Tunas, Victoria, Seychelles, 13–20 July, 2004, IOTC-2004-WPTT-02, 32 p.Google Scholar
Foxton, P. (1965) A mass fish mortality on the Somali coast. Deep Sea Research and Oceanographic Abstracts 12, 1719.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GEBCO (2010) The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). The GEBCO_08 Grid, version 2010.09.27, http://www.gebco.netGoogle Scholar
Gracia, G.A., Díaz-Garcia, V.M. and Velázquez-Simental, L.C. (1986) An unusually high concentration of dead portunid crabs Euphylax dovii Stimpson, 1860, in Salinas del Marques, Oaxaca, Mexico. Ciencias Marinas 12, 3440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, B.S. (2008) Maternal effects in fish populations. Advances in Marine Biology 54, 1105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamano, T. and Matsuura, S. (1984) Egg laying and egg mass nursing behaviour the Japanese mantis shrimp. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Scientific Fisheries 50, 19691973.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kamukuru, A.T. and Mgaya, Y.D. (2004) The food and feeding habits of blackspot snapper, Lutjanus fulviflamma (Pisces: Lutjanidae) in shallow waters of Mafia Island, Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology 42, 4958.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karuppasamy, P.K., Balu, S., George, S., Persis, V., Sabu, P. and Menon, N.G. (2007) Distribution and abundance of the swarming crab Charybdis (Goniohellenus) smithii Macleay in the deep scattering layer of the eastern Arabian Sea. Indian Hydrobiology 10, 165170.Google Scholar
Kensley, B. (1977) The South African Museum's Meiring Naude cruises, Part 2. Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura and Brachyura. Annals of the South African Museum 72, 161188.Google Scholar
Kodama, K., Shimizu, T., Yamakawa, T. and Aoki, I. (2004) Reproductive biology of the female Japanese mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria (Stomatopoda) in relation to changes in the seasonal pattern of larval occurrence in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Fisheries Science 70, 734745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lloyd, R.E. (1907) Contributions to the fauna of the Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new fishes and crustacea. Records of the Indian Museum 1, 112.Google Scholar
Longhurst, A. (2007) Ecological geography of the sea. 2nd edition. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Losse, G.F. (1969) Notes on the portunid crab Charybdis edwardsi Leene & Buitendijk, 1949, from the Western Indian Ocean. Journal of Natural History 3, 145152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Losse, G.F. and Merrett, N.R. (1971a) The occurrence of Oratosquilla investigatoris (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) in the pelagic zone of the Gulf of Aden and the equatorial western Indian Ocean. Marine Biology 10, 244253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Losse, G.F. and Merrett, N.R. (1971b) Additional data to: The occurrence of Oratosquilla investigatoris (Lloyd) 1907 (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) in the pelagic zone of the Gulf of Aden and the equatorial western Indian Ocean. Appendixes to paper accepted for publication on Marine Biology. Appendix I. Surface observations of swarming Stomatopoda from the western Indian Ocean. Appendix II. Records of Oratosquilla investigatoris from the western Indian Ocean. Non published data deposited in the archive of the Natural History Museum, London, UK.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacLeay, W.S. (1838) On the Brachyurous Decapod crustacea brought from the Cape by Dr. Smith. In Smith, A. (ed.) Illustrations to the zoology of South Africa. London: Smith, Elder & Co, pp. 5371.Google Scholar
Malone, M.A., Buck, K.M., Moreno, G. and Sancho, G. (2011) Diet of three large pelagic fishes associated with drifting fish aggregating devices (DFADs) in the western equatorial Indian Ocean. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 34, 287294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maynou, F., Abelló, P. and Sartor, P. (2004) A review of the fisheries biology of the mantis shrimp, Squilla mantis (L., 1758) (Stomatopoda, Squillidae) in the Mediterranean. Crustaceana 77, 10811099.Google Scholar
MBREMP (2005) General management plan. Dar es Salaam: Board of Trustees, Marine Parks and Reserves, The United Republic of Tanzania, Ministry of Natural Resource and Tourism, 56 pp.Google Scholar
Mincks, S.L., Bollens, S.M., Madin, L.P., Horgan, E., Butler, M., Kremer, P.M. and Craddock, J.E. (2000) Distribution, abundance, and feeding ecology of decapods in the Arabian Sea, with implications for vertical flux. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 47, 14751516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Panikkar, N.K. and Jayaraman, R. (1966) Biological and oceanographic differences between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal as observed from the Indian region. Proceedings: Plant Sciences 64, 231240.Google Scholar
Potier, M., Marsac, F., Cherel, Y., Lucas, V., Sabatie, R., Maury, O. and Ménard, F. (2007a) Forage fauna in the diet of three large pelagic fishes (lancetfish, swordfish and yellowfin tuna) in the western equatorial Indian Ocean. Fisheries Research 83, 6072.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potier, M., Ménard, F., Cherel, Y., Lorrain, A., Sabatie, R. and Marsac, F. (2007b) Role of pelagic crustaceans in the diet of the longnose lancetfish Alepisaurus ferox in the Seychelles waters. African Journal of Marine Science 29, 113122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potier, M., Marsac, F., Lucas, V., Sabatie, R., Hallier, J.-P. and Ménard, F. (2004) Feeding partitioning among tuna taken in surface and mid-water layers: the case of yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye (T. obesus) in the western tropical Indian Ocean. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 3, 5162.Google Scholar
Reaka, M.L. (1980) Geographic range, life history patterns, and body size in a guild of coral-dwelling mantis shrimps. Evolution 34, 10191030.Google Scholar
Reaka, M.L. and Manning, R.B. (1981) The behavior of stomatopod crustacea, and its relationship to rates of evolution. Journal of Crustacean Biology 1, 309327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Romanov, E., Potier, M., Zamorov, V. and Ménard, F. (2009) The swimming crab Charybdis smithii: distribution, biology and trophic role in the pelagic ecosystem of the western Indian Ocean. Marine Biology 156, 10891107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, K.A., Hammond, M. and Close, P.G. (2010) Aggregation and stranding of elongate sunfish (Ranzania laevis) (Pisces: Molidae) (Pennant, 1776) on the southern coast of Western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 93, 181188.Google Scholar
Stewart, B.S., Yochem, P.K. and Schreiber, R.W. (1984) Pelagic red crabs as food for gulls: a possible benefit of El Niño. Condor 86, 341342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thiel, M. and Duffy, J.E. (2007) The behavioral ecology of crustaceans. A primer in taxonomy, morphology, and biology. In Thiel, M. and Duffy, J.E. (eds) Evolutionary ecology of social and sexual systems: crustaceans as model organisms. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Türkay, M. and Spiridonov, V.A. (2006) Deep water swimming crabs of the subgenus Charybdis (Goniohellenus) of the western Indian Ocean (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae). In Krupp, F. and Mahnert, V. (eds) Fauna of Arabia. Riyadh: National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD)/Basel: Pro Entomologia c/o Natural History Museum, pp. 199223.Google Scholar
van Couwelaar, M., Angel, M.V. and Madin, L.P. (1997) The distribution and biology of the swimming crab Charybdis smithii McLeay, 1838 (Crustacea; Brachyura; Portunidae) in the NW Indian Ocean. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 44, 12511280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Venema, S.C. (1975) Report on Cruise No. 1 and No. 2 of R/V “Dr. Fridtjof Nansen”. Indian Ocean Fishery and Development Programme – Pelagic Fish Assessment Survey North Arabian Sea. Bergen, IMS, 62 pp.Google Scholar
Venema, S.C. (1976) Report on Cruise No 4 of R/V “Dr. Fridtjof Nansen”. Indian Ocean Fishery and Development Programme Pelagic Fish Assessment Survey North Arabian Sea. Bergen, IMS, 40 pp.Google Scholar
Wortham-Neal, J.L. (2002a) Reproductive morphology and biology of male and female mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda: Squillidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 22, 728741.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wortham-Neal, J.L. (2002b) Intraspecific agonistic interactions of Squilla empusa (Crustacea: Stomatopoda). Behaviour 139, 463486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Romanov supplementary material

Tables S1-S2

Download Romanov supplementary material(File)
File 119.8 KB
Supplementary material: File

Romanov supplementary material

Romanov supplementary material 1

Download Romanov supplementary material(File)
File 14.5 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Romanov supplementary material

Figure S1A

Download Romanov supplementary material(Image)
Image 3 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Romanov supplementary material

Figure S1B

Download Romanov supplementary material(Image)
Image 801.9 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Romanov supplementary material

Figure S2A

Download Romanov supplementary material(Image)
Image 511.1 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Romanov supplementary material

Figure S2B

Download Romanov supplementary material(Image)
Image 576.1 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Romanov supplementary material

Figure S3A

Download Romanov supplementary material(Image)
Image 688 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Romanov supplementary material

Figure S3B

Download Romanov supplementary material(Image)
Image 543 KB