Morphometrics and Length-Weight Relationship in the Blue Swimming Crab, Portunus Segnis (Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia
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International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (IJEAS) ISSN: 2394-3661, Volume-3, Issue-12, December 2016 Morphometrics and length-weight relationship in the blue swimming crab, Portunus segnis (Decapoda, Brachyura) from the gulf of Gabes, Tunisia Ghailen HAJJEJ, Ayda SLEY, Othman JARBOUI Abstract— This The morphometric characteristics and relative of Gabes since its declaration in Tunisian waters in 2014 [38]. growth of the blue swimming crab Portunus segnis collected in the In the Gulf of Gabes P. segnis continues to proliferate very Gulf of Gabes were examined. A total of 634 individuals of P. segnis rapidly it is reported in the governorate of Gabes, Medenine were analyzed, being 335 males and 299 females. The allometric and Sfax. relationships between the characters of this set suggest that most In many areas throughout Asia, crab production is a relationships are isometric. The carapace width/length- weight relationship was studied in both sexes of crab. The exponential significant industry especially in the Philippines, Vietnam, values (b) for the carapace width-total weight relationship was Indonesia, and elsewhere in Asia [39]. In Tunisia, It is a distinct between the sexes with a positive growth pattern in weight species caught accidentally by fishermen coastal fishing of the for males, and a negative allometric pattern identified for females. Gulf of Gabes. No fishing gears target this species because it Males were significantly larger and heavier than females, the is not commercialized and Tunisians are not familiar to expected pattern to many crabs. An analysis of variance indicates consume this type of crab despite its economic importance in that there is a significant difference between sexes with respect to the other countries. the crab Portunus segnis is part of the carapace width-weight relationship. A correlation between carapace accompanied carcinofauna (bycatch) of trammel nets, width and weight were encountered for males and females. The statistical analysis of chelar propodus length within sexes indicated a targeting commercial-interest shrimp species (Penaeus mirror-symmetry in this species, which provides more stability and keraturus) and cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), and invisible net, balance to individuals. The condition factor ranged between 0.00691 beach seine and trawl fishing on the Gulf of Gabes. and 0.34767 with a mean of 0.0582. The condition factor decreased In population studies, morphometric analysis provides a with an increase in crab size. powerful complement to genetic and environmental stock identification approaches [10] and length-weight Index Terms—morphometric characteristics, relative relationships allow the conversion of growth-in-length growth, Portunus segnis, Gulf of Gabes. equations to growth-in-weight for use in a stock assessment model [28]. The length-width/weight relationship is regarded I. INTRODUCTION as more suitable for assessing not only fish, but also Crabs belong to the brachyuran infra order family crustacean [44-45]. comprising more than 6,793 species peculiarly known for This study is the first investigations done in Tunisian waters their ten legged creature (decapod) [23]. Among the species on morphometric characters relationship of the blue of this infra order, the blue swimming crab, Portunus segnis swimming crab, Portunus segnis. Thus, in order to obtain (Forskål, 1775), previously named as P. pelagicus (Linnaeus, information about the population biology of Portunus segnis, 1758) [26] is one of the early lessepsian invaders which was the present study aimed to: 1) characterize the relative growth recorded in Egypt (Mediterranean Sea) as early as in 1898, of the species based on allometric changes of some few years after the opening of the Suez Channel [15]. The morphometric characters in relation to the carapace width, term ‘lessepsian migration’ is used to describe the and 2) also perceived to establish precise mathematical immigration of Red Sea biota into the Mediterranean Sea after equations between the length and weight, width and weight, the opening of the Suez Canal, in 1869. It is a ‘phenomenon of so that if one is measured, the other dimension could be unidirectional and successful biotic advance from the Red Sea computed. Importantly, this is the first study focusing on to the Eastern Mediterranean [33]. morphometric analysis of the Portunus segnis in the gulf of We counted 6 Lessepsian species from the twelve exotic Gabes that will be useful in comparing the different stocks of species reported in Tunisia [8]. Portunus segnis has been the same species at different geographical locations. accidentally introduced in Tunisian waters may be as a result of maritime commerce and ballast transport. The first records II. MATERIALS AND METHODS of the presence in Tunisian waters of the lessepsian blue In order to determine some morphometric characters of the swimming crab is reported until now exclusively in the Gulf blue swimming crab (Portunus segnis) inhabiting the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia, a total of 634 crab specimens were collected, between September 2015 and August 2016, using trammel Ghailen HAJJEJ, National Institute of Marine Sciences and nets, gill nets, purse seine, beach seine and creels, in random Technologies (I.N.S.T.M), 6000 Gabès Tunisia., Phone/ Mobile No 216 samplings of several size ranges. The population of P. segnis 75220254 Ayda SLEY, National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies was sampled at twelve stations in the Gulf of Gabes (Figure (I.N.S.T.M), 6000 Gabès Tunisia., Phone/ Mobile No 216 75220254. 1). Othman JARBOUI, National Institute of Marine Sciences and In the laboratory, all of the sampled specimens were, washed Technologies (I.N.S.T.M), 3018 Sfax Tunisia., Phone/ Mobile No 216 for removing the mud and algae’s and barnacles stuck to the 74497117. 10 www.ijeas.org Morphometrics and length-weight relationship in the blue swimming crab, Portunus segnis (Decapoda, Brachyura) from the gulf of Gabes, Tunisia external skeleton. Using observations of characteristic height measures of the right and left chelar propodus between abdomen shapes (triangular in males and circular in females) sexes. and the appearance of the number of pleopods, the specimens were identified and sexed. Figure 1: Study area in the Gulf of Gabes. In total, 12 different morphometric characters were taken into consideration: carapace width including the pair of spines Figure 2: The measurements used for morphometric (CW), carapace length (CL), carapace depth (CD), right studies in Portunus segnis. A, Carapace in dorsal view; B, chelar propodus length (R_CPL), right chelar propodus chela; C, abdomen; CW: carapace width; CL: carapace height (R_CPH), left chelar propodus length (L_CPL), left length; ALB: antero-lateral border; PLB: postero-lateral chelar propodus height (L_CPH), antero-lateral border border; FML: frontal margin length; CPL: chelar (ALB), postero-lateral border (PLB), frontal margin length propodus length; CPH: chelar propodus height; AL: (FML), abdomen length (AL) and abdomen width (AW) abdomen length; AW: abdomen width. (Figure 2). All of the morphometric characters were measured using digital calipers (0.01 mm of precision) and the total The carapace length/carapace width -weight relationship was body weight (TW), of the crab was determined to the nearest estimated using the log form of the allometric growth gram using a digital balance (1 g). Individuals missing one of b equation W = aL [40], where W = expected total body the limbs were not weighed and excluded from analyses using weight, L = total carapace width, ‘a’ = y-intercept or the initial the body weight. growth coefficient, and ‘b’ = the slope or growth coefficient. Analyses of relative growth were performed separately for The values of constants of ‘a’ and ‘b’ were calculated by the each sex based on allometric equation [24], 푦= 푎푥푏, converted least squares method. The statistical significance of ‘b’ was to the linear form by means of natural logarithm tested by Student’s t-test, adopting a significance level of transformation (푦) = Ln (a) + b Ln(x), where y = dependent P<0.05. variables (CL, CD, ALB, PLB, FML, AL, AW), x = The Fulton’s condition factor (K) was calculated for both independent variable (CW), a = intercept on y axis, and b = males and females (ovigerous and non-ovigerous were allometric growth coefficient. Growth was classified as grouped) to the values of total samples by the formula K= positively allometric when b > 1, negatively allometric when 100W/L3 [17] where W denoted as total body weight (g) and b < 1, or isometric when b = 1. Student’s t-test was utilized to L denoted as carapace length/carapace width (cm). The assess deviations from the isometric condition, with variation in condition factors between the sexes was tested by significance level α = 0.05 [48]. The values of the correlation Student’s t-test (P<0.05). coefficient (r) were calculated to know the degree of association of the two variables involved, with the objective of establishing a mathematical relationship between the III. RESULTS variables, so that if one variable is known, the other could be computed approximately. The variation between the A total of 634 crabs (335 males and 299 females) were regression coefficient (b) in male and female calculated using analyzed in this study, with CW ranging from 39.26 to 155.5 ANOVA (Analysis of variance). mm (mean 106.41±28.17 mm) in males, and from 34.27 to Regression equations were calculated assuming an allometric 148.5 mm (mean 95.83±26.67 mm) in females. The mean TW growth equation (Y = a + bX), and growth ratios for the of males was 110.84±75.41 g, and that of females was independent variable (CW) and the other variables (R_CPL, 68.47±46.07 g. (Table 1). The average size of males was L_CPL, R_CPH, L_CPH) were determined by logarithmic significantly larger than females (Student’s t-test = 23.06, p < transformation expressed as Y= log a+b log X.