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Defense mechanisms and antipredator behavior in two sympatric species of spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus and P. guttatus

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Abstract

The congeneric spiny lobsters Panulirus argus and P. guttatus co-occur throughout the Caribbean Sea, where they may share the coral reef habitat. Despite their phylogenetic closeness, both species have many different life-history traits that may partially explain their coexistence. However, even though both species may face the same predators, their defense mechanisms and antipredator strategies had not been compared. We compared the performance between species in 18 morphological and behavioral defense mechanisms commonly expressed by most spiny lobsters, including predator-avoidance mechanisms (activity schedule, sheltering behavior, delay to disturbance, and effect of conspecific damage-released scents on shelter choice) as well as antipredator mechanisms (body size, several parameters of the escape response and limb autospasy, clinging strength, antennal strength, and cooperative defense). As hypothesized, both species expressed all these defense mechanisms (except cooperative defense, shown only by P. argus), reflecting their phylogenetic closeness, but performed significantly differently in most, in accordance with their particular ontogenetic traits. Their comparative performance in individual defense mechanisms as well as the antipredator strategies displayed by groups of lobsters of each species in the presence of a common predator (the triggerfish Balistes vetula) showed that, in general, the defensive behavioral type of P. argus is more bold and that of P. guttatus more shy. Therefore, their distinct defensive behaviors contribute to their niche differentiation.

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Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate the highly skilled technical support in field and laboratory work provided by F. Negrete-Soto and C. Barradas-Ortiz. Additional help was provided by R. Domínguez-Gallegos, A. Osorio-Arciniegas, E. Ramírez-Zaldívar, and J. Valladárez-Cob. Comments by two anonymous reviewers greatly improved this paper. This study was funded by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Mexico) through grant 40159-Q and a scholarship for MPO. The Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca issued permit No. 220803-613-03 to capture lobsters for experimental purposes. Experiments complied with the current laws of Mexico.

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  1. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Académica Puerto Morelos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P. O. Box 1152, 77500, Cancún, QR, Mexico

    Patricia Briones-Fourzán, Marisol Pérez-Ortiz & Enrique Lozano-Álvarez

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  1. Patricia Briones-Fourzán
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  2. Marisol Pérez-Ortiz
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  3. Enrique Lozano-Álvarez
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Correspondence to Patricia Briones-Fourzán.

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Communicated by P.W. Sammarco, Chauvin

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Briones-Fourzán, P., Pérez-Ortiz, M. & Lozano-Álvarez, E. Defense mechanisms and antipredator behavior in two sympatric species of spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus and P. guttatus . Marine Biology 149, 227–239 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0191-2

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