GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY OF CHORISMUS-ANTARCTICUS (PFEFFER) (CRUSTACEA, DECAPODA, NATANTIA) IN THE EASTERN WEDDELL SEA, ANTARCTICA

The Antarctic shrimp Chorismus antarcticus is the dominant benthic shrimp species in sponge communities of the Weddell Sea shelf. Growth, mortality and productivity were estimated from trawl samples and from laboratory observations. Growth (Von Bertalanffy function: CL infinity = 19.98 mm, K = 0.348 yr(-1) t = 0.643 yr) was found to be slower and mortality (Z = 0.731 yr(-1)) was found to be? lower than in comparable boreal species. Somatic and gonad production-to-biomass ratios were estimated to be 0.587 yr(-1) and 0.021 yr(-1), respectively. Within sponge communities, annual production of C. antarcticus amounts to about 6 mg C-org m(-2) yr(-1).