Distribution of larvae ofPinnixa rathbuni Sakai (Decapoda: pinnotheridae) in Ise Bay and its neighbouring coastal waters,central Japan part 3. Aggregation of the benthic adult population with reference to the spatial distribution of the planktonic larvae

According to studies made to date, the planktonic larvae ofPinnixa rathbuni, especially the early zoeal stages, have been found mainly in the eastern part of Ise Bay (Pacific coast of central Japan), while the benthic adult population is restricted to the southwestern part of the bay. The present study was made to obtain a better understanding of the origin of the dense population of early zoea found along the coast of the Chita Peninsula in the eastern part of the bay. Field surveys made with a Smith-McIntyre grab from May to November 1981 (every two months) ruled out the possibility that the benthic adult crabs in the southwestern part of the bay migrated to the eastern part of the bay to release their larvae, or that a substantial population of the crabs occurred in the eastern part of the bay. Thus, the larvae may be derived wholly from the benthic adult populations localized in the southwestern part of the bay. The spatial distribution of the early larvae can be explained by assuming that the larvae, released by the benthic adult population in the southwestern part of the bay, are rapidly transported toward the Chita Peninsula and form a dense larval population along the coast in the eastern part of the bay.