Life cycle of ornate rock lobster

© courtesy Welch and Robins (2014), Images: Queensland DEEDI and Pitcher et al (2005)
Welch and Robins (2014).

Description

Life cycle of ornate rock lobster.

Generalised life cycle of the ornate rock lobster, Panulirus ornatus, from the NE region of Australia and the stages of potential environmental driver impacts.

Life cycle:

  1. Adults mature at 2 to 3 years. Spawning occurs from November to April whereby they undertake a breeding migration.
    1. North East Australian adults show site fidelity and breed in reef areas or migrate up to 70 km to adjacent deep water off the GBR.
    2. Torres Strait adults breed in reef areas but most migrate up to 500 km offshore to Yule Island in the eastern Gulf of Papua.
  2. Eggs are carried by the female for approximately 1 month.
  3. Eggs hatch into planktonic phyllosoma larvae and drift with wind and tide in oceanic waters of the NW Coral Sea. Larval duration is ~6 months.
  4. Larvae develop into the peurulus stage which swims across the continental shelf to settle as juveniles in inshore and estuarine areas.
  5. Juveniles spend 1 to 2 years (< 120 mm CL) in inshore areas.
  6. Sub-adults ~ 95 mm CL move offshore to midshelf reefs.

Welch, D. and Robins, J. (2014) Tropical rock lobster, Panulirus ornatus (ornate rock lobster). In: Welch, D.J., J. Robins, and T. Saunders (editors) (2014) Implications of climate change impacts on fisheries resources of northern Australia. Part 2: Species profiles. Final report to Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra, Australia.

Image produced for the project