Morphometric relationships of palinurid lobsters Palinurus delagoae and P. gilchristi and a scyllarid lobster Scyllarides elisabethae caught in traps off the south and east coasts of South Africa

Abstract

Morphometric relationships of commercially important lobsters Palinurus delagoae, P. gilchristi and Scyllarides elisabethae were determined using standard measurements of carapace length (CL), whole mass (WM) and tail mass (TM). The relationships are important because they form the basis for assessing landings. As CL increases, TM and WM of female P. delagoae and E gilchristi become progressively heavier than males. The TM and WM of P. gilchristi were significantly greater for a given length than for P. delagoae. The TM of P. gilchristi, the unit used to control the total allowable catch of the fishery, remained a constant proportion of WM throughout the commercial size range. The TM of P. delagoae, as a proportion of WM, decreased as lobster size increased. Morphometric differences can be distinguished between P. delagoae and P. gilchristi using the relationships presented.