Seasonality and shelter selection by the slipper lobster Scyllarides latus in the southeastern Mediterranean

Patterns of migration, abundance and shelter selection by Mediterranean slipper lobsters Scyllarides latus were studied in artificial shelters placed on the shallow continental shelf off the coast of Israel.Underwater censuses and tagging experiments over >3 yr indicated a seasonal pattern of adult lobster abundance in shallow water.Lobsters' appearance at the site was associated with low water temperature m winter.They disappeared from shallow water in the study area from mid-summer to late fall.Preliminary data of recaptured tagged lobsters suggest that they migrate northwards and to deeper water.Such long-term migration may be triggered by the high, and perhaps unfavorable, mid-summer temperature in the shallow coastal habitats.It is hypothesized that the continuous stay of slipper lobsters in deeper water through late fall may be a physiolo~cal/behavioral adaptation to molting occurring in this period.During their stay in shallow water lobsters tended to remain in the artificial shelters complex and its vicinity.They dwelt in shelters during the day and foraged at night, mainly for bivalves, of which some were brought back to dens before daylight.Analysis of lobster recruitment to artificial reefs of different design indicated preference for lower, horizontal dens with small apertures.Habitats rich w i t h such she!ters arc very limited aiong the ilat bottoms of the littoral southeastern Mediterranean.Since sheltering in such dens presumably reduces the risk of predation by diurnal predators, it is advantageous for lobsters to return to these preferred sites after short as well as long-term movements.