Evidence of a pelagic nursery area for phyllosomas of the scyllarid lobster Acantharctus ornatus (Holthuis, 1960) (Decapoda: Achelata: Scyllaridae) in a coastal bight in South Africa.

This article investigates the role of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Bight off eastern South Africa as a pelagic nursery area for lobster phyllosoma larvae, focusing primarily on the scyllarid species Acantharctus ornatus. Sampling conducted between 2018 and 2023 using plankton nets revealed that A. ornatus phyllosomas, representing all nine developmental stages, were predominantly found in shallow waters within the KZN Bight, with abundance declining sharply beyond 100 m depth and outside the bight. Molecular analyses using mitochondrial COI and 16S rDNA gene markers confirmed species identification, while spatio-temporal data indicated significant seasonal and spatial variation in larval abundance. The study concludes that the KZN Bight functions as a pelagic nursery area specifically for A. ornatus larvae, although the location of adult populations remains uncertain, and suggests further research to elucidate larval dispersal and recruitment dynamics.