BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Palinurus elephas

Researched by

Angus Jackson & Charlotte Marshall

Data supplied by

MarLIN

Refereed by

This information is not refereed.

Reproduction/Life History

Reproductive type

Gonochoristic

Developmental mechanism

Planktotrophic
Oviparous

Reproductive Season

July to October

Reproductive Location

As adult

Reproductive frequency

Annual protracted

Regeneration potential

Life span

Insufficient information

Age at reproductive maturity

3-5 years

Generation time

Insufficient information

Fecundity

See additional information

Egg/propagule size

Insufficient information

Fertilization type

External

Larvae/Juveniles
Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential	1km-10km	Larval settlement period	Insufficient information
Duration of larval stage	1-6 months

Reproduction Preferences Additional Information

Age at maturity is labile and depends on environmental conditions. Fecundity
Fecundity in Palinurus elephas is influenced by the size of the female, with heavier specimens producing more eggs (Ceccaldi & Latrouite, 1994). Goñi et al. (2003) reported fecundity in a marine reserve in the western Mediterranean to be between ca 23,000-202,000 eggs. This is generally three to five times lower than fecundity in many other spiny lobster populations (Hunter, pers. comm.).
Reproduction
Mating is usually preceded by a ?pre-mating? moult which occurs up to four weeks earlier (Ceccaldi & Latrouite, 1994). When the female is ready to mate, she emits a specific noise (stridulation) which attracts a mate (Mercer, 1973, cited in Ceccaldi & Latrouite, 1994). The male then deposits a spermatophore below the genital opening of the female.
Females bearing spermatophores have been reported from August to October in Britain and Ireland (Hepper, 1977; Ansell & Robb, 1977; Hunter, et al., 1996; Hunter, 1999). In laboratory experiments, Ansell & Robb (1977) found that eggs were released 7-10 days after the deposition of the spermatophore. As the eggs are laid, the spermatophores are usually torn with the claw on the fifth pereiopods (Mercer, 1973, cited in Hunter et al., 1996), thereby fertilizing the eggs. The first newly berried females in Cornwall and Wales were observed in August and, by January, 90% of Cornish females were found to be berried (Hunter et al., 1996). Incubation in the Atlantic is typically nine months after which the eggs hatch in early summer (Hunter, 1999). In Mediterranean population, incubation lasts for only five months, probably reflecting warmer water temperatures (Hunter, 1999). Hepper (1977) noted that eggs were laid in late summer / autumn in Cornwall and hatched the following spring / early summer. Most eggs have hatched by June in Wales and Cornwall (Hunter et al., 1996). In Scotland, hatching was thought to have occurred in April and May (Ansell & Robb, 1977). There is only one clutch per year.
In the Mediterranean, pueruli were found to settle between June and July in the western Mediterranean spending about five months in the plankton (Diaz et al., 2001).

Reproduction References

Hepper, 1977, Hunter et al., 1996, Ansell & Robb, 1977, Ingle, 1997, Hunter, 1999, Noel, 1999, Ceccaldi & Latrouite, 1994, Goñi et al., 2003, Goñi & Lacrouite, 2005,