Spatial distribution and egg production in squat lobsters (Decapoda: Munididae, Munidopsidae) from the collection of the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Spatial distribution and egg production of squat lobsters is examined from specimens deposited in the collection of the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP), Brazil. A total of 1,346 specimens of squat lobsters were analyzed, out of which 169 were ovigerous females. Ovigerous females contained ten species of Munididae (n = 165) and three of Munidopsidae (n = 4). Eleven of the thirteen studied species were distributed along the Brazilian coast, while two of the remaining species in other marine regions. The analysis of bathymetric distribution revealed the presence of four species on the continental shelf (