Distribution and abundance of Panulirus (Decapoda: Palinuridae) phyllosomae in the southeastern Gulf of California, Mexico

The spatial and temporal distribution of the stage I phyllosoma larvae of the lobsters Panulirus inflatus and P. gracilis and their relationships to water temperatures and salinities were analyzed from February to December 1989 in the southeastern Gulf of California Mexico. Three stations were located within the bay of Mazatlan and one was located at the mouth of the Urias system (station one). Two-hundred and eight samples (104 at surface and 104 at bottom) were obtained from 26 horizontal plankton tows. Water temperatures and salinities were measured concurrently. Phyllosoma larvae were most abundant in station one, with total mean densities of I 206 larvae/1 000 m(3) (surface) and 1 196 larvae/1 000 m(3) (bottom). Water temperatures ranged from 17.9 degrees C, in February, to 30.2 degrees C, in August, and water salinities ranged from 34.1 parts per thousand, in August, to 35.0 parts per thousand in May. The abundance of phyllosoma larvae was not related to changes in water temperature or salinity, however it was significantly related with the reproductive behavior of adults inhabiting the area Spatial distribution of phyllosoma strongly depends upon current patterns and tidal cycles.