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Abstract: The effects of fish predators, light phase, habitat structure and prawn size on the habitat preferences of juvenile Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis de Man were examined with laboratory experiments. The behaviour of juvenile P. merguiensis within habitats of different structural complexity was also examined. Experiments were carried out in a tank (1.8 m diameter) divided into four habitats representing: bare substratum, leaf litter (little vertical structure), mangrove pneumatophores (regular vertical structure) and mangrove woody debris (heterogeneous vertical structure). The location of 10 prawns was monitored over 270 min (135 min light and 135 min dark), with different prawns five times for each combination of prawn size class, and predator (no predator; Arius graeffei Kner and Steindachner and Lates calcarifer Bloch). In the absence of predators and during the light phase, when observations on prawn behaviour were made, swimming was the most common behaviour (of seven mutually exclusive behavioural categories) with few differences in behaviour between sizes. All size classes of juvenile P. merguiensis selected vertical structure (mangrove debris and pneumatophores) over low vertical structure (leaf litter and bare substratum), in both light and dark conditions and in the presence or absence of predators. When L. calcarifer was present, the selection by prawns of the mangrove-debris habitat increased significantly. This was attributed to an increase in predation risk in the other habitats. L. calcarifer rarely pursued prey amongst the mangrove-debris structure, compared to habitats with less heterogeneous vertical structure (pneumatophores, leaf litter and bare substratum). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although the life history–environment relationship for juvenile Penaeus merguiensis in tropical regions has been well documented, little is known about the species towards the subtropical limits of its range. Seasonal patterns of abundances of juvenile and postlarval P. merguiensis were studied in the Logan River, a subtropical estuary in eastern Australia from January 1998 to July 2000. Prawns were sampled using a small beam trawl at fortnightly intervals when they were abundant and monthly intervals at other times. The prawns ranged in size from 1.8 to 22 mm in carapace length (CL), with a mean size (±1 SE) of 6.7±0.1 mm CL and were caught at densities of up to 14.2±3.3 prawns m−2. Postlarvae were caught from January to July, with peaks in April and May; and juveniles were abundant from December to June, although this varied between years. The numbers of postlarvae, temperature and rainfall explained 23% of the overall variation in juvenile catches. Temperature and rainfall also explained some of the variation in postlarval catches (9.9%). Recruitment varied considerably between years, and was the highest in years when rainfall was low (1998 and 2000). In general, both the seasonal patterns of catches of postlarval and juvenile P. merguiensis, and environmental processes affecting their abundance were similar to tropical areas. However, one notable difference was that recruitment occurred over a more restricted time period in the Logan River than in tropical regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The distribution of juvenile Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis de Man and other epibenthic crustaceans in different microhabitats within a riverine mangrove forest was examined in subtropical eastern Australia. Catches in vegetated and cleared microhabitats were compared at sites located in mangroves on the creek edge (1–2 m into the forest) and the inner forest (a further 14–22 m into the forest). Crustaceans were sampled using 3×3 m lift nets that were activated at the top of spring flood tides between March and May 2000. The abundance of P. merguiensis in the adjacent creek was also monitored during both high and low tides using a small beam trawl. A large size range of P. merguiensis was caught in the mangrove forest (2–13.5 mm carapace length) and the maximum density recorded was 1 prawn m−2. Catches of P. merguiensis were significantly higher at the creek edge than at the inner forest sites. Catches did not differ significantly between vegetated and cleared microhabitats, but catches were highly variable within microhabitats. This result was attributed to the very high activity levels of P. merguiensis and suggests that detecting differences between microhabitats used by prawns in the field would require a large number of samples. Substantial numbers of Acetes sibogae australis (Hansen), Macrobrachium novaehollandiae (de Man) and Metapenaeus bennettae (Racek and Dall) also entered the forest and catches of these species followed a similar pattern to those for P. merguiensis, i.e. catches were higher at the creek edge than the inner forest, did not differ between microhabitats and were highly variable within a microhabitat. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]