SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF STOMATOPODS (MALACOSTRACA, STOMATOPODA) IN THE MAIN BAYS OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA

In order to examine the seasonal and spatial patterns of stomatopods in the main bays of Guangdong Province, China, investigations were carried out seasonally using a semi-balloon otter trawl. A total of 11 species belonging to 10 genera of 2 families was collected. Oratosquilla oratoria and O. interrupta were the two most ubiquitous species, followed by Harpiosquilla raphidea and Miyakea nepa. IRI analyses (= indices of relative importance) revealed that these four were the most important species and accounted for 97.4% and 98.6% of the total abundance and biomass, respectively. The biological characteristics and seasonal variations in the catches implied that recruitment of O. oratoria and O. interrupta started in summer, whereas that of M. nepa and H. raphidea started in autumn. The aggregations and nMDS ordination analysis (= non-metric multidimensional scaling) based on catch rates revealed the existence of three groups. Hailing Bay and Shantou Bay formed Group 1, representing the most abundant fishery grounds. Honghai Bay, Daya Bay, Dapeng Bay, Shuidong Bay, and Liusha Bay formed Group 2, and were characterized by a moderate abundance of stomatopods. The last group (Group 3), with the lowest level of capture, comprised only Leizhou Bay, with no catch in winter. The spatial and temporal variations in the catch were mainly associated with characteristics of the sediment, life cycles, and a "mid-summer fishing moratorium" conservation measure, but not significantly with water depth, temperature, or salinity, according to BIO-ENV (biology-environmental) analysis.