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NEPH Metan 2

1983

FAO SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SHEETS

FAMILY: NEPHROPIDAE FISHING AREA 51 (W. Indian Ocean)

Metanephrops andamanicus (Wood-Mason, 1892)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAMES STILL IN USE: None

VERNACULAR NAMES:

FAO : En - Andaman Fr - Langoustine andamane Sp - Cigala de Andamán NATIONAL:

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS:

A small to medium-sized lobster. Body cylindrical; cara- pace spiny, but not uniformly so, with a well developed median ros- trum armed with lateral and ven- tral teeth only, and supra-orbital ridges extending behind eyes, the spaces between these ridges with a median ridge; longitudinal ridges present behind the cervical groove. Eyes well developed and pig- mented; antennae long and whip- like; antennal scales present. Tail powerful, with a well deve- loped fan and abdominal segments with a sculpturation of longitudinal and transverse grooves. First 3 pairs of legs ending in true pincers, the first pair very long and rather slender, square in cross section, with rows of spines along ridges.

Colour: pinkish; pincers banded with pink. Eggs dark blue.

supraorbital ridge cervical groove

ridges

carapace (lateral view) DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE AREA:

All other species of Nephropidae: eyes reduced, without pigment. no antennal species: antennal scales absent; scale p:eura of abdommal segments triangular in side view; large pincers without ridges, pubescent.

Acanthacaris tenuimana: rostrum with mid- dorsal teeth. Body almost uniformly covered with spinules. Large pincer slender, more than 10 times as long as high; eyes very small, lacking pigment. Thymopides robovi: carapace without post- rostral ridges, without spines. Pincers less than 3 times as long as high.

Nephropsis Thymopides stewarti grobovi SIZE: tenuimana antennal Maximum: carapace length 7 cm, total body scale length about 20 cm; common total body length about 15 cm.

Nephropsis GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR:

Within the area, known from east Africa (from Acanthacaris tenuimana Kenya to Natal and Madagascar). Elsewhere, from the Andaman Sea, Indonesia and southwest Australia. It has been reported from depths between 200 and 750 m, but is found most commonly between 400 and 475 m. Lives on bottoms of hard mud, most likely in burrows. andamanicus Thymopides grobovi carapace

PRESENT FISHING GROUNDS: Metanephrops andamanicus pincer Not actively fished for at present, although of potential commercial interest. Occasionally taken in larger quantities by trawls. Crosnier & Jouannic (1973, Docum.sci.Centre Nosy-Bé ORSTOM, 42:13) report on catches made near Madagascar of 5 kg/h.

CATCHES, FISHING GEAR AND FORMS OF UTILIZATION:

The nominal annual catches in South African waters were reported to be 64 metric tons in 1975, 106 in 1976, 239 in 1977, 1135 in 1979 and 286 in 1980. No other statistics are available. Taken by trawls.

Marketed mostly fresh.

NEPH Nephps 3

1983

FAO SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SHEETS

FAMILY: NEPHROPIDAE FISHING AREA 51 (W. Indian Ocean)

Nephropsis stewarti Wood-Mason, 1872

OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAMES STILL IN USE: None

VERNACULAR NAMES:

FAO : En - Indian Ocean lobsterette Fr - Langoustine indienne Sp - Cigala del Océano Indico

NATIONAL:

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS: A small lobster. Body cylindrical, pubescent; carapace grarular, with a well developed median rostrum armed with 1 pair of lateral spines; a single spine behind each eye. Eyes very small, lacking pigment; antennae long and whip-like; antennal scales absent. Tail powerful, without a dorsal ridge; with a well developed fan, the outer blade of which shows a transverse fissure; pleura (lateral projections) of second abdominal segment triangular, without spines on front edge. First 3 pairs of legs ending in true pincers, the first pair rather stout with short, very hairy (woolly) fingers. Colour: generally pink or red, rather variable.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE AREA: Nephropsis ensirostris: rostrum without lateral teeth. Several spines in median area of carapace behind post- orbital spines. Abdomen with a medio- dorsal ridge.

N. ensirostris carapace N. malhaensis: body not pubescent. Possibly synonymous with N. stewarti.

N. suhmi: rostrum with 2 lateral teeth. Anterior margin of second and following abdominal pleura with a spine or tooth. Outer blade of tail abdomen (lateral view) fan without a fissure. Acanthacaris tenuimana: body larger, rather uniformly covered with spinules. Antennal scales present. Large pincers slender (more than 10 times as tong as high).

Thymopides grobovi: rostrum with 2 or 3 lateral teeth; scaphocerite present; no postorbital N. suhmi tail fan Nephropsis spines; abdomen with a median ridge. stewarti Metanephrops andamanicus: eyes large, pig- mented.

pincer Acanthacaris tenuimana SIZE:

Maximum: about 15 cm body length; com- mon to 10 cm.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR:

Within the area, reported off East Africa (from the Gulf of Aden to Madagascar, Mozambique and Natal), and the Laccadive Islands, off the west coast of India. Outside the area, from the Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, Japan and Indonesia. Occurs at depths between 350 and over 1 000 m, usually between 500 and 750 m. Found on soft bottoms of green or brown mud.

PRESENT FISHING GROUNDS: Acanthacaris Thymopides Metanephrops Nowhere fished for commercially, but perhaps tenuimana grovovi andamanicus of future commercial interest. According to carapace Crosnier & Jouannic (1973, Docum.sci.Centre Nosy Bé ORSTOM, 42:13) the species is caught in small quantities (1.2 kg/h, or less) and so far seems of little interest.

CATCHES, FISHING GEAR AND FORMS OF UTILIZATION:

Separate statistics are not reported for this

species.

Caught with bottom trawls.

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