Species composition of puerulus spiny lobsters from the South Sea of Pacitan of East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

There are about six species of tropical spiny lobsters within a group of Panulirus inhabit Indonesia archipelagic waters. A lobster fishery is among relevant national fisheries products. Their social, economic, and ecological contributions to the country are significant. Hence, the lobster's resource sustainable use always becomes a challenge for the management authority. Life phase distribution of marine organisms in space and time is critical information for management. The equivalent study can be phrased for the lobster population in the South Sea of Java Island of Eastern Indian Ocean. The purpose of this study was to develop formulations to protect ecosystems and conserve lobster resources. Distribution of pueruli larvae of spiny lobster of Panulirus species was surveyed in the South Sea of Pacitan, East Java from January to February 2019. The number of pueruli larvae caught were counted and compared among the species. An ANOVA test was performed for data analysis. There were four species of lobster found. The dominant species was Panulirus homarus (Scalloped spiny lobster). It was followed by P. versicolor (Painted spiny lobster), and P. ornatus (Ornate spiny lobster). The least dominant was P. pennicillatus (Pronghorn spiny lobster). Comparative study on life stage distribution concerning to larval dispersal may support the connectivity hypotheses of the lobster population in the region.