1. Declines in Panulirus echinatus Smith, 1869 populations along their wide distribution in the Atlantic Ocean have spurred efforts to improve their fisheries management and conservation. In this study, the genetic structure of these populations is reported for the first time.
2. In a survey of 18 species‐specific polymorphic microsatellite markers, 152 individuals were genotyped from five Atlantic oceanic islands, covering most of the insular distribution range of the species. The analyses revealed that P. echinatus is genetically partitioned into two stocks in the Atlantic Ocean. A highly significant genetic structure was observed between north‐east and south‐west Atlantic populations based on fixation index, discriminant analysis of principal components, and structure and barrier analysis.
3. We suggest that the Equatorial Circulation System represents a biophysical barrier that effectively limits migration among Atlantic subtropical gyre systems, as has been described for other species. Other physical and ecological barriers, such as the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge itself, the distance between the eastern and western sides of the Atlantic (Mid‐Atlantic Barrier) and water mass differences, as well as other biological aspects, may also influence larval dispersal and modulate the insular distribution of this species.
4. The results show the existence of two distinct genetic stocks of P. echinatus and have implications for fisheries management in the Atlantic Ocean, including their independent management according to their individual status. The Cabo Verde and the Canarian populations (north‐east Atlantic) showed the lowest level of genetic variability in comparison with the south‐western populations. A combination of factors that have occurred or are occurring in the Canary Islands, such as overfishing and volcanic eruptions, is likely to explain the reduced abundance of this lobster species in the area.

中文翻译：

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褐刺龙虾紫锥菊（大西洋十足龙虾）在大西洋岛屿人群中的遗传分化。

1. Panulirus echinatus Smith的数量下降，1869年大西洋沿岸广泛分布的种群推动了改善其渔业管理和保护的努力。在这项研究中，首次报告了这些种群的遗传结构。
2. 在对18种特定于物种的多态微卫星标记进行的调查中，来自五个大西洋大洋岛屿的152个个体具有基因型，涵盖了该物种的大部分岛上分布范围。分析表明，紫锥菊在遗传上被分为大西洋两类种群。根据固定指数，主成分判别分析以及结构和障碍分析，在东北大西洋和西南大西洋种群之间观察到了高度重要的遗传结构。
3. 我们建议，赤道环流系统代表了一种生物物理屏障，可以有效地限制大西洋亚热带回旋系统之间的迁移，正如其他物种所描述的那样。其他物理和生态屏障，例如大西洋中脊本身，大西洋东西两侧之间的距离（中大西洋屏障）和水质差异以及其他生物学方面，也可能影响幼虫的扩散和调节该物种的岛状分布。
4. 结果表明存在两种不同的紫锥菊遗传种群，对大西洋的渔业管理产生了影响，包括根据其个体状况进行的独立管理。与西南种群相比，佛得角和加那利群岛（东北大西洋）种群的遗传变异水平最低。加那利群岛已经发生或正在发生的各种因素，例如过度捕捞和火山喷发，很可能解释了该地区龙虾种类的减少。