STRUCTURE AND DIVERSITY OF THE LOBSTER COMMUNITY ON THE AMAZON CONTINENTAL SHELF

The present study analyses the diversity and community structure of the lobsters captured using bottom trawl shrimp nets at depths of 41 to 626 m during fishery prospection cruises conducted between 1996 and 1998. The study area encompasses the coasts of the Brazilian states of Amapa and Para, which were divided into two sectors, to the north and to south of Cape North. The 44 lobster specimens identified belonged to nine species: Acanthacaris caeca (A. Milne-Edwards, 1881), Nephropsis aculeata Smith, 1881, Nephropsis rosea Bate, 1888, Palinustus truncatus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804), Parribacus antarcticus (Lund, 1793), Polycheles typhlops Heller, 1862, Scyllarides delfosi Holthuis, 1960 and Stereomastis sculpta (Smith, 1880). The specimens were captured preferentially on muddy sand substrates in the northern sector and gravelly and muddy sand in the southern sector. All species were more common in the northern sector during the dry season (June-November), and in the southern sector in the rainy season (December-May).