Morphological variations of southern white shrimp Penaeus schmitti (Burkenroad, 1936) (Crustacea: Dendrobranchiata: Penaeidae) in natural populations of Cuba and Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify morphological characteristics of different populations of Penaeus schmitti Burkenroad, 1936 to contribute to its biology and conservation. In order to compare geographically isolated populations, between 2014 and 2016, selected biological variables were analyzed in six populations dispersed along the Brazilian coast and one from the Cuban coast. Specimens with eight upper rostral teeth predominated. The ordination of shrimp measurements by non-metric multidimensional scaling showed the greatest dispersion on data from Cuba, Rio Grande do Norte, and Espirito Santo, which are also the localities that presented the highest coefficient of variation. On the other hand, the values corresponding to Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, and Santa Catarina showed a greater similarity or clustering of the data of each location. Tail weight was estimated using length and depth of the sixth abdominal segment. The populations of Santa Catarina, Brazil (28°S), had the longest and heavier abdomens proportionally among all the compared populations, while the organisms of Manzanillo, Cuba (20°N), had proportionally shorter abdomens and the narrowest cephalothorax. The regression equation indicated a positive allometric growth for P. schmitti, and the largest total length reported for genus Penaeus in the natural environment corresponded to a P. schmitti specimen. This information could be useful in future taxonomic studies to correctly identify the species and its morphological variability. Color differences were also observed, with white ventral spots in the sternite XIV of some females from Brazilian populations, which was not previously reported in the literature. Extending these studies is recommended to contribute to the conservation and culture of P. schmitti.