Modulating reproduction of Penaeidae shrimps: ecological responses of two sympatric species (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata) on south-eastern Brazilian coast

The present study investigated the reproductive biology of the pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis and Farfantepenaeus paulensis captured offshore and at two important fishing grounds, Guanabara Bay and Araruama Lagoon both on the south-eastern Brazil coast. The females’ size at first maturation was 37.90 mm of carapace length (CL) for F. brasiliensis and 41.95 mm of CL for F. paulensis . Both species presented continuous reproduction with two spawning peaks. For F. brasiliensis these peaks occurred during summer and winter and for F. paulensis during summer and autumn. The sex-ratio of the pink shrimp was favourable to the number of females which can be a strategy to guarantee the reproduction.