Abstract

Pleuroncodes monodon is a species that supports a trawl fishery of demersal crustaceans in Chile. However, knowledge of its reproductive condition at the gonadal level is still unknown. For this reason, the present study used histological and macroscopic techniques to evaluate the gonadal development of red squat lobster females collected between 25 degrees 08'S and 36 degrees 58'S along the coast of continental Chile. The results indicated that these females exhibit group-synchronous gonadal development. In addition, each female of the species clearly showed synchrony between gonadal maturity and embryonic development, revealing that it is a multiple spawner, although its fecundity is indeterminate because the total number of broods produced during the reproductive season is still unknown. The estimated maturity ogive varied significantly between physiological and functional criteria. The implications of these observations are discussed.