Annual variability of the decapod larvae community in the shallow waters of the southern Adriatic

Abstract

        Investigations of the annual decapoda larvae variability in the shallow waters of the southern Adriatic using the ADRIATIC sampler, indicated that the individuals are not equally distributed in the water column. In the oligotrophic Lokrum Channel, very low values were noted only in the bot­tom layers. The species Processa spp. and Liocarcinus spp. dominated at this station. In the slight­ly antropogenic eutrophicated Gruž Bay and in the naturally eutrophicated Mali Ston Bay, a high number of individuals were recorded during the spring and summer. The large aggregations of indi­viduals in Gruž and Mali Ston Bay were primarily caused by the vertical distribution of the domi­nant species Pisidia longimana. Significantly higher values were determined in the middle layers of Gruž Bay (P=0.003) and in the bottom layers of Mali Ston Bay (P <0.001).