Reproductive ecology of a hippolytid shrimp, Lebbeus virentova (Caridea: Hippolytidae) at the Von Damm Vent Field, Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre

Elucidation of life-history traits is essential to understand larval dispersal and population dynamics in marine benthic assemblages. This study is the first investigation of the life history of a recently described hippolytid shrimp from a deep-sea chemosynthetic environment, Lebbeus virentova Nye, Copley, Plouviez and Van Dover, 2013 at the Von Damm Vent Field (18°22N, 81°47W, ~2,300 m depth, Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, Caribbean), using samples collected in February and June 2013. Lebbeus virentova is gonochoric and iteroparous. The sex ratio of L. virentova was significantly female biased (1:3) in February and June. The sampled population of L. virentova had a unimodal size-frequency distribution pattern in February and June, consistent with continuous recruitment and mortality. Continuous reproduction is indicated by a lack of synchrony in oocyte size-frequency distributions within both months, and asynchronous development of embryos among females, which may result in asynchronous larval release. A large embryo size in this species (2.65 ± 0.28 mm diameter) compared with other caridean shrimps suggests possible abbreviated larval development, as described in other species of the genus from non-chemosynthetic environments. Fecundity (26-94 embryos [female.sup.-1]) was lower and embryo size larger in L. virentova compared with alvinocaridids at chemosynthetic environments. This suggests that there are phylogenetic constraints on reproductive features of decapods at hydrothermal vents.
Introduction Modes and patterns of reproduction in marine invertebrates are highly diverse (reviewed by Ramirez-Llodra 2002; Young 2003), and the variety of habitats in the deep and shallow ocean are [...]