Reproductive Biology of the Smoothtail Spiny Lobster ( <i>Panulirus laevicauda</i> ) to Support Fisheries Management in Southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT The smoothtail spiny lobster ( Panulirus laevicauda ) is one of the main target species for fisheries in Brazil. We aimed to estimate reproductive parameters of this species in support of a minimum legal size limit for the region. A sample of 508 individuals ranged 13.75–100 mm in cephalothorax length (CL) from the southern coast of Espírito Santo, Brazil, during 2020–2021. Males were more abundant than females. Females reached morphological maturity before males, at 68.4 mm CL, for both sexes. Reproduction was between November and March, and some large females were capable of spawning more than once during the reproductive period. Because large adult females could spawn more than once per season, we recommend increasing the legal minimum capture size of P. laevicauda to 70 mm CL in Brazil.