The Relative Abundance and Distribution of Penaeid Shrimp Larvae Off the Mississippi Coast

The objectives of the present investigation are: (a) to delineate spawning seasons and the areas of as many species as possible based on larval abundance; (b) to study the spatial and seasonal distribution of penaeid larvae in relation to depth, temperature, salinity and seasons, which will indicate the movements of the spawners; (e) to inquire whether any correlation exists between occurrence of larvae and of adults in any area; (d) to examine the relationship between Penaeus postlarval abundance in the Mississippi Sound and larval and postlarval occurrence in the open sea; and (e) to study the vertical seasonal distribution of different stages, and to find out whether different developmental stages exhibit diurnal migrations. Larvae of six genera, Penaeus, Parapenaeus, Trachypeneus, Xiphopeneus, Sicyonia, and Solenocera, were encountered and the information on these is presented here. Protozoeal and mysis stages of Gennadas and Artemisia were collected, and these are new records from the Gulf of Mexico. They were reported by Subrahmanyam and Gunter (1970). The study was conducted from November 1966 to December 1968 inclusive