Aspectos da biologia populacional de Nematopalaemon Schmitti (Holthuis, 1950) e Exhippolysmata Oplophoroides (Holthuis, 1948) no litoral sul de Pernambuco

Abstract

Exhippolysmata oplophoroides and Nematopalaemon schmitti are two species of caridea prawns caught as bycatch by shrimp trawls. Along the Brazilian coast, the biological and ecological information of these two species are still scarce, especially on the northeastern coast. This works aims to collect biological and ecological information about these species in the coast of Pernambuco to understand its importance for the marine ecosystem and fishing. The collections were carried out monthly between September/2017 and August/2018, in Sirinhaém/PE, in a shrimp artisanal boat. During the study period, the number of individuals and the reproductive status (ovigerous and non-ovigerous) were counted to access reproductive peaks. The proportions of Caridae prawns Penaeus schmitti, Penaeus subtilis and Penaeus kroyeri prawns were also compared. For E. oplophoroides, the months of greatest abundance were October and May with the highest peaks of females ovated in February, March and May; and N. schmitti with greater abundance in July and August, and higher peak of individuals ovated in December and July. However, seabob shrimps presented the highest percentage of all shrimp measured (85.6%). The results of this work were important to generate the first ecological and biological information on the species in the state of Pernambuco and on the northeastern coast, contributing with the understanding of its importance to the ecosystem and possibly with a sustainable management plan for the fishing activity.