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Studies on reproductive biology and ecology of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus from Chilika Lagoon, Orissa, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2010

D. Sahoo ,
S. Panda  and
B.C. Guru
D. Sahoo*
Affiliation:
Chilika Development Authority, C-11, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751014, India
S. Panda
Affiliation:
Chilika Development Authority, C-11, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751014, India
B.C. Guru
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Utkal University, Vanivihar, Bhubnaeswar-754211, Orissa, India
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: D. Sahoo, Chilika Development Authority, C-11, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751014, India email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Portunus pelagicus a commercially important crab species found in Chilika lagoon constitutes about 20% of the total crab production. The carapace width (CW) ranges from 4.5–10.5 cm in both the sexes during the study period. The maximum abundance of male was at 6.6 to 7.5 cm CW whereas the females predominate from 6.6 to 9.5 cm CW. The relationship between carapace length (CL) and CW is linear in both sexes which indicates isometric growth. However, the relationship between CL, CW with total body weight (TW) is exponential. The food habit from gut content analysis shows that the species is highly carnivorous and the main food items include prawn carapace and appendages (27.58%), molluscan remaining (21.55%), fish bone (7.75%), seagrass (1.72%), unidentified materials (4.31%) and the mixed food (37.06%). The feeding index was found highest (80.95%) in February whereas it is lowest (60.9%) in June. The mature females are observed from May to July with a peak in July in the lagoon. The highest gonadosomatic index is found in July with an average CW of 10.5 cm. No berried females are found in the study period, which indicates that it did not spawn inside the lagoon and migrates to the sea during the rainy season.

Keywords

Chilika lagoonPortunus pelagicusgut content analysisgonadosomatic indexfeeding indexberried females
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 91 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 257 - 264
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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