Fecundity of the Blue Swimmer Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)(Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae)along the coast of Mandapam, Tamil Nadu, India

Josileen, Jose (2013) Fecundity of the Blue Swimmer Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)(Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae)along the coast of Mandapam, Tamil Nadu, India. Crustaceana, 86 (1). pp. 48-55.

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Abstract

The present investigation provides information on the fecundity of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758), expressed as the number of eggs counted, and its relationship with carapace width (CW) and total body weight of the female crab, as well as with the weight of the egg mass (i.e., clutch size). Berried crabs were collected fortnightly from shrimp trawls taken in the waters off Mandapam (09°20-25�N 79°5-10�E) on the southeastern coast of India. A total of 42 ovigerous females with eggs in early development (initial stage: yellow/orange colour) were used for the analysis. The fecundity measured ranged between 60 000 and 1 976 398 in crabs with carapace widths of 100 to 190 mm. Statistical studies revealed that among the different relationships, carapace width and fecundity are better indices for the estimation of reproductive potential, than the body weight of the crab.

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