Malacostraca |
Amphipoda |
Pontoporeiidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; brackish; depth range 4 - 237 m (Ref. 117328). Polar; 82°N - 43°N, 177°E - 81°E
Arctic and Northern Atlantic: from Chukchi Sea to Nova Scotia, Canada, north to Franz Josef Land and east to Kara Sea.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Minimum depth from Ref. 125127. It inhabits muddy areas, with low temperatures and medium high salinity at depths over 35 meters, compared to shallower areas (Ref. 95730). A mobile surface detritivore (Ref. 95752). Are nocturnal swimmers. Growth periods linked to spring phytoplankton blooms. Semelparous, with lifecycles lasting from 1 to 3 years in the northern Baltic proper. Eggs hatch in March-April. Sexual maturity is attained in 6 to 7 months (autumn). Males then undergo metamorphosis to adapt to pelagic life during which they do not feed, mate with females along the water column and then eventually die. The females, on the other hand, die after releasing their young the following spring (Ref. 90432).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the order Amphipoda are gonochoric and sexually dimoprhic (males larger than females). Mating behavior: Males locate potential partners with the aid of their antenna to detect the pheromones released by the females; the male then rides or carries the female until the latter is ready to molt. When the female is ready, the male pushes the sperm into the marsupium and releases the female afterwards. A few hours later, the female releases her eggs into the marsupium for fertilization. Life cycle: Eggs are brooded in the marsupium. Eggs hatch into juveniles and remain in the marsupium for a few days. Each species undergo 20 molts at most, i.e., 1-year long life cycle.
Cusson, M., P. Archambault and A. Aitken. 2007. (Ref. 3448)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Price category
Unknown.