Gulf and Caribbean Research Volume 21 Issue 1 2009 Abundance and Distribution of Two Species of Squilla (Crustacea: Stomatopoda: Squillidae) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Jennifer L. Wortham University of Tampa Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr Part of the Marine Biology Commons Recommended Citation Wortham, J. L. 2009. Abundance and Distribution of Two Species of Squilla (Crustacea: Stomatopoda: Squillidae) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf and Caribbean Research 21 (1): 1-12. Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr/vol21/iss1/1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.2101.01 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf and Caribbean Research by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Gulf and Caribbean Research Vol 21, 1-12, 2009 Manuscript received August 31, 2006; accepted June 30, 2008 ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF TWO SPECIES OF SQUILLA (CRUSTACEA: STOMATOPODA: SQUILLIDAE) IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO Jennifer L. Wortham University of Tampa, 401 West Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606-1490, USA, email:
[email protected] ABSTRACT: Stomatopods (mantis shrimps) are predatory benthic crustaceans. Mantis shrimp in the genus Squilla are frequent bycatch animals unintentionally collected in conjunction with the shrimp fi shery in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Their carcasses are discarded instead of being retained for human consumption, fi sh meal, or other protein-based food products. The size, depth, salinity, and temperature distributions of these species, as well as their abundance based on gender, were examined to gain biological information that would be necessary if a fi shery were to develop in the GOM.