Duarte et al: Relative growth, population structure, and reproductive biology of slipper lobsters (Scyllaridae) 
65 
10 15 20 25 30 35 10 15 20 25 30 35 
Total length (cm) Total length (cm) 
Figure 6 
Density curves for the various carapace color patterns, red (R), light (L), dark (D), intermediate (I), 
light red (LR), dark red (DR), and mixed (M) for (A) males and (B> females and medians, quartiles 
(Ql=lower quartile, cuts off lowest 25% of data and Q3=upper quartile, cuts off highest 75% of data), 
and ranges for (C) males and (D) females of the total lengths of the hooded slipper lobster ( Scylla - 
rides deceptor) caught by pot-and-trap or double-trawler fleets off southeastern Brazil from May 2006 
through April 2007. The different shadings for graphics located on the right side: from the darker to 
lighter (top to bottom) indicate various carapace color patterns (R, L, D (diagonal white lines], I, LR, 
DR, and M, respectively). The arrows mark the capture of juveniles and adult females. 
area 5=mud and sand. However, Figueiredo and Tes- 
sler (2004) report that the substrate varies greatly in 
microscale and therefore hampers association analyses. 
In decapod crustaceans, carapace color patterns are 
a result of hormonal control of chromatotropines (Rao, 
1985), combined with external factors, such as food 
sources, substrate color, and seasonal and environmen- 
tal variations (Rao, 1985; Bedini, 2002). These patterns 
may also be associated with intrinsic biological fac- 
tors, such as growth, reproduction, mating, and sexual 
maturation during ontogeny (Ryan, 1967; Pinheiro and 
Taddei, 2000). Analysis of the carapace color patterns 
of the hooded slipper lobster in this study did not help 
to identify the reproductive period, timing of molting, 
or fishing areas for this lobster. 
Chromatic changes during the ontogeny of crusta- 
ceans have been reported by Abele ( 1982) and Dalabona 
et al. (2005), particularly changes associated with mat- 
uration, as observed for other decapods of the genera 
Callinectes (Baldwin and Johnsen, 2012) and Arenaeus 
(Pinheiro and Taddei, 2000). In this study, there was a 
relationship between the size (TL) of females with red 
carapaces (range: 16.5-29.0 cm TL; mean; 22.7 cm TL 
[SD 2.9]) and L 50 (25.3 cm TL), a size that was very 
