Abstract
BackgroundDotillid crabs are introduced as one common dwellers of sandy shores. We studied the ecology and growth of the sand bubbler crab Scopimera crabricauda Alcock, 1900, in the Persian Gulf, Iran. Crabs were sampled monthly by excavating nine quadrats at three intertidal levels during spring low tides from January 2016 to January 2017.ResultsPopulation data show unimodal size-frequency distributions in both sexes. The Von Bertalanffy function was calculated at CWt = 8.76 [1 − exp (− 0.56 (t + 0.39))], CWt = 7.90 [1 − exp (− 0.59 (t + 0.40))] and CWt = 9.35 [1 − exp (− 0.57 (t + 0.41))] for males, females, and both sexes, respectively. The life span appeared to be 5.35, 5.07, and 5.26 years for males, females, and both sexes, respectively. The cohorts were identified as two age continuous groups, with the mean model carapace width 5.39 and 7.11 mm for both sexes. The natural mortality (M) coefficients stood at 1.72 for males, 1.83 for females, and 1.76 years−1 for both sexes, respectively. The overall sex ratio (1:0.4) was significantly different from the expected 1:1 proportion with male-biased. Recruitment occurred with the highest number of annual pulse once a year during the summer.ConclusionsThe results, which show slow growth, emphasize the necessity of proper management for the survival of the stock of S. crabricauda on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf.
Highlights
Dotillid crabs are introduced as one common dwellers of sandy shores
The carapace width (CW) and carapace length (CL) were measured using a Vernier caliper (± 0.01 mm accuracy), with terminology based on Ng (1988)
Using the Bhattacharya method, age groups of S. crabricauda were identified (Table 2; Fig. 4)
Summary
Dotillid crabs are introduced as one common dwellers of sandy shores. We studied the ecology and growth of the sand bubbler crab Scopimera crabricauda Alcock, 1900, in the Persian Gulf, Iran. Crustaceans including crabs, shrimps, and barnacles are ideal organisms for growth studies because precise measurements can be made on their exoskeleton in the field (Hartnoll, 1974; Ledesma, Molen, & Baron, 2010). These crustacea are easy to study their population. Various methods have been applied to model crab growth including mark-recapture (Diele & Koch, 2010), rearing (Kondzela & Shirley, 1993), and length-frequency data analysis (Sharifian, Kamrani, Safaie, & Sharifian, 2017). The population dynamics of organisms can provide baseline data for predicting the effect of global warming on their geographical distribution range (Sanda, Hamasaki, Dan, & Kitada, 2019; Wakiya, Itakura, & Kaifu, 2019)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
