Temporal, spatial and diel variation in the distribution and abundance of organisms is an inherent property of ecological systems. The present study describes these variations and the composition of decapod larvae from the surface waters of St Paul's Rocks. The expeditions to the archipelago were carried out in April, August and November 2003, March 2004 and May 2005. Surface plankton samples were collected during the morning and dusk periods, inside the inlet and in increasing distances around the archipelago (~150, 700 and 1500 m). The identification resulted in 51 taxa. Seven species, six genera and larvae of the families Pandalidae and Portunidae were identified for the first time in the area. The mean larval density varied from zero to 150.2±69.6 individuals 100 m−3 in the waters surrounding the archipelago and from 1.7±3.0 to 12,827±15,073 individuals 100 m−3 inside the inlet. Significant differences on larval density were verified between months and period of the day, but not among the three sites around the archipelago. Cluster and non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis indicated that the decapod larvae community was divided into benthic and pelagic assemblages. Indicator species analysis (ISA) showed that six Brachyura taxa were good indicators for the inlet, while three sergestids were the main species from the waters around the archipelago. These results suggest that St Paul's Rocks can be divided into two habitats, based on larval composition, density and diversity values: the inlet and the waters surrounding the archipelago.

ABSTRACT. The present paper aims to describe the temporal and spatial distribution of the composition and abundance of Decapoda larvae in the shallow waters around Arvoredo Marine Biological Reserve. Stomatopod occurrence is also discussed. Plankton samples were collected at five sites around the Arvoredo Island every two months for one year from May, 2002 to April, 2003. Thirty-nine morphotypes, 11 genus and 4 species (Artemesia longinaris Bate, 1888, Hexapanopeus schmitii Rathbun, 1930, Menippe nodifrons Stimpson, 1859 and Pleoticus muelleri Bate, 1888) were identified, among them only two morphotypes of Stomatopoda larvae, and the remainder Decapoda larvae. Brachyuran zoeae were the most abundant group and they were well represented by Portunidae and Xanthidae zoeae. Lucifer sp. and Caridea zoeae were the most abundant non-brachyuran taxa. Decapod larvae were observed to occur at all sampling sites, however the spatial distribution demonstrated a general tendency to greater abundance and diversity at the southern sites of the Island. Decapoda and Stomatopoda larvae occurred throughout the year, showing that reproduction is continuous, but that larval input in planktonic community was significantly higher during autumn and spring.KEYWORDS. Decapods, crustaceans, meroplankton, distribution, Brazil.

We investigated the effect of interannual variation on the biodiversity and distribution of decapod larvae at Saint Paul's Rocks, an isolated small group of equatorial islands linked to the Atlantic Mid‐Ocean ridge. Zooplankton samples were collected between 2003 and 2005 from a range of different environments off the archipelago. Horizontal surface hauls were conducted in the inlet and at three increasing distances from the archipelago, both in the morning and at night, using a 200‐μm mesh net. Decapod larvae collected included 11 species and 37 individual taxa. Seven of them have not previously been recorded in the area. Samples taken at the shortest distance from the archipelago exhibited a significantly greater abundance than samples taken further away. No significant differences were detected between months in terms of decapod larvae abundance in the inlet. However, in the open ocean at night, the mean abundance was much higher in May and July. Decapod larvae abundance was much higher at night for both the open ocean and the inlet. Brachyuran and caridean larvae exhibited the greatest abundance and frequency in the inlet, mainly represented by the first‐stage larvae of: Grapsus grapsus, Plagusia depressa, Platypodiella spectabilis and Alpheidae. In contrast, Sergestidae holopelagic shrimps were the most abundant and the most frequent larvae in the surface waters of the open ocean. The composition, abundance and distribution of decapod larvae were very similar during the 2 years sampled. Species accumulation curves indicate that even greater diversity exists, demonstrating that long‐term research is important for acquiring accurate knowledge about the biodiversity of dynamic ecosystems such as those at Saint Paul's Rocks.

No abstract