Abstract
The burrowing crustaceans of the Infraorder Axiidea have as main representative Callichirus major (Say, 1818), known as ghost shrimp. The aim of this paper was to analyze the relative growth of C. major at Piedade beach, Pernambuco. The samplings were accomplished from December 2010 to November 2011. The ghost shrimps were sampled with a suction pump, sacrificed with alcohol and identified at the laboratory. A total of 389 individuals of C. major were sampled. The sexual dimorphism was evidenced, with males attaining larger sizes. Considering the carapace length as the independent variable, the growth of the total length was isometric for both sexes, while the chelipods showed positive allometry for both sexes, but with higher growth rate in males. While females direct their energy for the production and incubation of eggs, males invest in the growth of the body and chelipods, the last ones being important in territory defense and in reproduction. The growth of the telson was allometrically negative. The population of C. major at Piedade beach showed biometry very similar to other communities of the same family, but some variations were observed, due to intra and interspecific and biogeographic relations. . Key words: Axiidea, biometry, burrowing organisms, Piedade beach.
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