DOCTORAL THESIS 2015 DECAPOD CRUSTACEAN LARVAE INHABITING OFFSHORE BALEARIC SEA WATERS (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN): TAXONOMY AND ECOLOGY Asvin Pérez Torres DOCTORAL THESIS 2015 Doctoral Programme of Marine Ecology DECAPOD CRUSTACEAN LARVAE INHABITING OFFSHORE BALEARIC SEA WATERS (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN): TAXONOMY AND ECOLOGY Asvin Pérez Torres Director:Francisco Alemany Director:Enric Massutí Directora:Patricia Reglero Tutora:Nona Sheila Agawin Doctor by the Universitat de les Illes Balears List of manuscripts Lead author's works that nurtured this thesis as a compendium of articles, which have been possible by the efforts of all my co-authors, are the following: • Torres AP, Dos Santos A, Alemany F and Massutí E - 2013. Larval stages of crustacean key species of interest for conservation and fishing exploitation in the western Mediterranean. Scientia Marina, 77 – 1, pp. 149 - 160. doi: 10.3989/scimar.03749.26D. (Chapter 2) JCR index in “Marine & Freshwater Biology”: Q3 • Torres AP, Palero F, Dos Santos A, Abelló P, Blanco E, Bone A and Guerao G - 2014. Larval stages of the deep-sea lobster Polycheles typhlops (Decapoda, Polychelida) identified by DNA analysis: morphology, systematic, distribution and ecology. Helgoland Marine Research, 68, pp. 379 -397. DOI 10.1007/s10152-014-0397-0 (Chapter 3) JCR index in “Marine & Freshwater Biology”: Q3 • Torres AP, Dos Santos A, Cuesta J A, Carbonell A, Massutí E, Alemany F and Reglero P - 2012. First record of Palaemon macrodactylus Rathbun, 1902 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) in the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Marine Science, 13 (2): pp. 278 - 282. DOI: 10.12681/mms.309 (Chapter 4) JCR index in “Marine & Freshwater Biology”: Q2 • Torres AP, Dos Santos A, Balbín R, Alemany F, Massutí E and Reglero P – 2014. Decapod crustacean larval communities in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean): seasonal composition, horizontal and vertical distribution patterns. Journal of Marine Systems, 138, pp. 112-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2013.11.017 (Chapter 5) JCR index in “Marine & Freshwater Biology”: Q1 • Torres AP, Reglero P, Hidalgo M, Abelló P, Simão D, Alemany F, Massutí E and Dos Santos A. Vertical distribution of decapod crustaceans: seasonality and diel migration patterns over ontogeny off Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Sea) Marine Ecology Progress Series, Submitted (Chapter 6) JCR index in “Marine & Freshwater Biology”: Q1 The phD candidate has participated in two papers directly related to the line of research of this thesis.which have not been included in this thesis: Marco-Herrero E, Torres AP, Cuesta JA, Guerao G, Palero F and Abelló P – 2013. The systematic position of Ergasticus (Decapoda, Brachyura) and allied genera, a molecular and morphological approach. Zoologica Scripta, 42(4):427-439 Simão DS, Torres AP, Olivar MP and Abelló P – 2014. Vertical and temporal distribution of pelagic decapod crustaceans over the shelf-break and middle slope in two contrasting zones around Mallorca (western Mediterranean Sea). Journal of Marine Systems, 138:139-149 A mis padres, a Sam y a Ramón Table of contents Abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................... I - II Summary /Resumen/Resum .......................................................................... III – VIII Acknowledgements / Gracias / Gràcies / Obrigado ......................................... IX - XII Fundings .............................................................................................................. XII Chapter 1. Introduction and objectives ............................................................... 1-26 1.1 General background and larval study interest ................................................ 3-7 1.2 Taxonomy: importance in biodiversity conservation and management. ..... 7-10 1.3 State of the art of decapod larvae taxonomic studies:gaps and difficulties10-17 1.3.1 Vertical migrations: importance for understanding larval ecology and recruitment processes .................................................................................. 13-15 1.3.2 State of the art of decapod larval ecology studies, with special attention to issues related to vertical distribution: gaps and difficulties ..................... 15-17 1.4 The framework project and study area ....................................................... 18-22 1.5 Objectives and structure of the thesis ........................................................ 23-26 Chapter 2. Species of interest for conservation and fishing exploitation. “Larval stages of crustacean species of interest for conservation and fishing exploitation in the western Mediterranean” 2.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................ 29 2.2 Introduction ................................................................................................ 30-32 2.3 Materials and methods ............................................................................... 32-35 2.4 Results ......................................................................................................... 35-39 2.4.1 Occurrence and abundance of larval stages ............................................. 35 2.4.2 Morphological description of mysis II of Aristeus antennatus (Figs 2.2 & 2.3) ................................................................................................................ 35-39 2.4.3 Morphological description of zoea I of Scyllarides latus (Fig. 2.4) ....... 39-43 2.5 Discussion .................................................................................................... 43-50 2.5.1 Second mysis of Aristeus antennatus .................................................. 43-46 2.5.2 First zoea of Scyllarides latus ............................................................... 46-47 2.5.3 Occurrence and abundance of larval stages ........................................ 47-50 Chapter 3: Larval morphology and classification of deep-sea larvae. “Larval stages of the deep-sea lobster Polycheles typhlops (Decapoda, Polychelida) identified by DNA analysis: morphology, systematic, distribution and ecology” 3.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................ 53 3.2 Introduction ................................................................................................ 54-56 3.3 Materials and methods ............................................................................... 57-60 3.3.1 Sampling .............................................................................................. 57-58 3.3.2 DNA analyses ....................................................................................... 58-60 3.3.3 Morphological descriptions ...................................................................... 60 3.4 Results ......................................................................................................... 61-75 3.4.1 Phylogenetic analyses ............................................................................... 61 3.4.2 Morphological descriptions ................................................................. 61-74 3.4.3 Spatial and vertical distribution of Polycheles typhlops larvae ............ 74-75 3.5 Discussion .................................................................................................... 76-83 3.5.1 Phylogenetic and morphology of Polycheles typhlops larvae .............. 76-79 3.5.2 Spatial and vertical distribution of Polycheles typhlops larvae ............ 79-80 3.6 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 80-82 Chapter 4. Invasive species. “First record of Palaemon macrodactylus Rathbun, 1902 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) in the western Mediterranean“ 4.1 Abstract ......................................................................................................... 85 4.2 Introduction ............................................................................................. 86-89 4.3 Material and methods ................................................................................. 89-91 4.4 Results ............................................................................................................ 91 4.5 Discussion ................................................................................................. 91-94 Chapter 5. W Mediterranean decapod larval community. “Decapod crustacean larval communities in the Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean): seasonal composition, horizontal and vertical distribution patterns” 5.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................ 97 5.2 Introduction ........................................................................................... 98-101 5.3 Material and methods ....................................................................... 101-107 5.3.1 Sampling methodology .............................................................. 101-105 5.3.2 Spatial and seasonal larval distribution analysis .............................. 106-107 5.3.3 Vertical larval distribution analysis ......................................................... 107 5.4 Results ................................................................................................... 107-122 5.4.1 Hydrographic conditions .................................................................. 107-108 5.4.2 Assemblage composition, seasonal