Habitat-associated occurrence of spiny lobster pueruli (Panulirus spp.) in Moramo Bay, Indonesia: Baseline ecological observations
Abstract
Indonesia supports one of the world's largest fisheries targeting spiny lobster pueruli (Panulirus spp.) to supply capture-based aquaculture, yet ecological information describing puerulus occurrence in many coastal settlement areas remains scarce. This study presents preliminary ecological observations from Moramo Bay, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, based on standardized artificial pocong collectors deployed at three representative shallow coastal stations characterized by coral–sand mixtures, seagrass beds, and sandy substrates. Because artificial collectors intercept actively swimming pueruli during the transition from the pelagic to the benthic phase, the data represent collector-associated occurrence rather than direct measurements of natural settlement or habitat preference. A total of 319 pueruli belonging to two species were recorded, comprising Panulirus ornatus (79.31%) and P. homarus (20.69%). Collector catches varied among the three representative sampling stations, with the highest abundance observed at the seagrass-associated station. Field observations were interpreted together with satellite-derived mean sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a concentration (2022–2024) to characterize the regional oceanographic setting surrounding the sampling area. The spatial variation observed among stations may reflect the combined influence of local habitat setting, coastal hydrodynamics, larval transport processes, and differences in collector exposure rather than habitat characteristics alone. Since each habitat type was represented by a single sampling station, these findings should be interpreted as station-level ecological observations rather than replicated habitat comparisons. Although preliminary, this study establishes an ecological baseline for Moramo Bay and provides a scientific foundation for future investigations integrating replicated habitat surveys, larval connectivity, and oceanographic processes to strengthen evidence-based management of Indonesia's lobster puerulus fisheries.
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Authors
Copyright (c) 2026 Prof. Dr. Yonvitner, S.Pi., M.Si., Dr. Taryono, S.Pi., M.Si, Syahrir, S.Pi., M.Si., Dr. Ir. Rahmat Kurnia, M.Si, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ario Damar, M.Si.
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