Size distribution and monthly variation of ovarian development for the female blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus in Beibu Gulf, off south China

Authors

  • Zhijun Liu Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University - Jangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Huaihai Institute of Technology
  • Xugan Wu Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University - Jangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Huaihai Institute of Technology
  • Wei Wang Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University
  • Binlun Yan Jangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Huaihai Institute of Technology
  • Yongxu Cheng Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.03919.24A

Keywords:

blue swimmer crab, ovarian development, size at maturity, seasonality

Abstract


The present study was conducted to investigate the size distribution and seasonality variation of ovarian development for females of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus, from Beibu Gulf, China. The results show that, based on pubertal moult, gonadosomatic index (GSI), morphology and histological configurations, the ovarian development cycle of P. pelagicus can be divided into five stages; Stage I, dominated by oogonia with some previtellogenic oocytes and endogenous vitellogeic oocytes; Stage II, dominated by endogenous vitellogenic oocytes with some previtellogeic oocytes and oogonia; Stage III, dominated by exogenous vitellogeic oocytes; Stage IV, of nearly mature oocytes; and Stage V, of mature oocytes with fully ripened ovary. GSI increased significantly during the ovarian development (P < 0.05), while the hepatosomatic index (HSI) appeared to decrease. Thus, a significant negative correlation was found between GSI and HSI (P < 0.01). The smallest carapace width of a mature female and that at which 50% of females reach maturity were 79.2 mm and 108.2 mm, respectively. The carapace width and body weight of the dominant size class ranged between 86 and 115 mm and 40 and 120 g, respectively. Furthermore, the highest GSI of female P. pelagicus was found in March, while the peak of ovigerous females was found in April.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bawab F., El-Sherief S. 1988. Stages of the Reproductive Cycle of the Female Crab Portunus pelagicus (L., 1758) Based On the Anatomical Changes of the Spermatheca (Decapoda Brachyura, Portunidae). Crustaceana 54: 139-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854088X00041

Bureau of Fisheries (ed) 2010. China Fisheries Yearbook of 2009. Ministry of Agriculture of China, Beijing, China. (in Chinese).

Campbell G. 1984. A comparative study of adult sexual behaviour and larval ecology of three commercially important portunid crabs from the Moreton Bay region of Queensland, Australia. PhD thesis, University of Queensland, Australia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 253 pp.

De Lestang S., Hall N., Potter I. 2003a. Changes in density, age composition, and growth rate of Portunus pelagicus in a large embayment in which fishing pressures and environmental conditions have been altered. J. Crustac. Biol. 23: 908-919. http://dx.doi.org/10.1651/C-2376

De Lestang S., Hall N., Potter I. 2003b. Reproductive biology of the blue swimmer crab (Portunus pelagicus, Decapoda: Portunidae) in five bodies of water on the west coast of Australia. Fish. Bull. 101: 745 757.

Dineshbabu A., Shridhara B., Muniyappa Y. 2008. Biology and exploitation of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758), from south Karnataka coast, India. Indian J. Fish. 55(3): 215-220.

Dixon C., Hooper G. 2009. Blue crab (Portunus pelagicus) fishery 2007/08. Stock assessment report to PIRSA fisheries. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic science), Adelaide. F2007/000729-5.

Hines A. 1989. Geographic variation in size at maturity in brachyuran crabs. Bull. Mar. Sci. 45: 356-368.

Huang Z. 2009. Species composition and quantitative distribution of crabs in the northern continental shelf of South China Sea. J. Dalian. Fish. Univ, 24(6): 553-558. (in Chinese with English abstract).

Huang Y., Li Y., Shao H., et al. 2008. Seasonal Variations of sea surface temperature, Chlorophyll-a and turbidity in Beibu Gulf, MODIS imagery study. J. Xiamen. Univ. (Nat. Sci.) 47(6): 856- 862. (in Chinese with English abstract).

Islam M., Kodama S., Kurokura H. 2010. Ovarian development and size at maturity of the mud crab Scylla olivacea in Pak Phanang mangrove swamps, Thailand. Mar. Biol. Res. 6: 503-510. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17451000903335113

Johnson D., Gray C., Macbeth. W. 2010. Reproductive biology of Portunus pelagicus in a south-east Australian estuary. J. Crustac. Biol. 30: 200-205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1651/08-3076.1

Kalinina M., Vinnikova N., Semen K. 2008. Gonadogenesis and color characteristics of ovaries in Japanese mitten crab Eriocheir japonicus. Russ. J. Dev. Biol. 39: 52-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/S1062360408010086

Kangas M. 2000. Synopsis of the biology and exploitation of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, in Western Australia. Fish. Res. Rep. Fish. West. Aust. 121: 1-22.

Kumar M., Xiao Y., Venema S., et al. 2003. Reproductive cycle of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus, off southern Australia. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 83: 983-994. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315403008191h

Maheswarudu G., Josileen J., Nair K., et al. 2008. Evaluation of the seed production and grow out culture of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in India. Indian J. Mar. Sci. 37: 313-321.

Overton J., Macintosh. D. 2002. Estimated size at sexual maturity for female mud crabs (genus Scylla) from two sympatric species within the Ban Don Bay, Thailand. J. Crustac. Biol. 22: 790-797. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/20021975-99990293

Pillay K., Nair N. 1973. Observations on the biochemical changes in gonads and other organs of Uca annulipes, Portunus pelagicus and Metapenaeus affinis (Decapoda: Crustacea) during the reproductive cycle. Mar. Biol. 13: 167-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00367985

Potter I., Chrystal P., Loneragan N. 1983. The Biology of the Blue Manna Crab Portunus pelagicus in an Australian Estuary. Mar. Biol. 78: 75-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00392974

Quinitio E., De Pedro J., Estepa F. 2007. Ovarian maturation stages of the mud crab Scylla serrata. Aquac. Res. 38: 1434-1441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2007.01650.x

Rahaman A.A. 1967. Reproductive and nutritional cycles of the crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus) (Decapoda: Brachyura) of the Madras coast. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. Sec. B 65: 76-82.

Romano N., Zeng C. 2008. Blue swimmer crabs, emerging species in Asia. Glob. Aquacul. Advoc. 11: 34-36.

Sukumaran K., Neelakantan B. 1998. Mortality and stock assessment of two marine portunid crabs, Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus (Herbst) and Portunus (Portunus) pelagicus (Linnaeus) along the southwest coast of India. Indian J. Fish. 43: 225-240.

Shields J., Wood F. 1993. Impact of parasites on the reproduction and fecundity of the blue sand crab Portunus pelagicus from Moreton Bay, Australia. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 92: 159-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps092159

Smith G., Sumpton. W. 1989. Behavior of the commercial sand crab Portunus pelagicus (L.) at trap entrances. Asian Fish. Sci. 3: 101-113.

Smith K., Hall N., de Lestang S., et al. 2004. Potential bias in estimates of the size of maturity of crabs derived from trap samples. Ices. J. Mar. Sci, 61: 906-912. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icesjms.2004.07.019

Stewart M., Soonklang N., Stewart P., et al. 2007. Histological studies of the ovaries of two tropical portunid crabs, Portunus pelagicus (L.) and Scylla serrata (F.). Invertebr. Reprod. Dev. 50: 85-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07924259.2007.9652231

Sumpton W., Potter M., Smith G. 1994. Reproduction and growth of the commercial sand crab, Portunus pelagicus (L.) in Moreton Bay, Queensland. Asian Fish. Sci. 7: 103-113.

Wang, H., Wu H., Wang Z., et al. 2001. Fisheries biology of Portunus pelagicus Linneaus initialing investigation. Mar. Sci, 25: 36-39 (in Chinese with English abstract).

Weng H. 1992. The sand crab (Portunus pelagicus) populations of two different environments in Queensland. Fish. Res. 13: 407-422. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0165-7836(92)90061-W

Wu X., Yao G., Yang X., et al. 2007. A study on the ovarian development of Portunus trituberculatus in East Sea during the first reproductive cycle. Acta. Oceanol. Sin. 29: 120-127 (in Chinese with English abstract).

Wu X., Zhou B., Cheng Y., et al. 2010. Comparison of gender differences in biochemical composition and nutritional value of various edible parts of the blue swimmer crab. J. Food Compos. Anal. 23: 154-159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2009.08.007

Xiao Y., Kumar M. 2004. Sex ratio, and probability of sexual maturity of females at size, of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus Linneaus, off southern Australia. Fish. Res. 68: 271-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2003.11.012

Yao G., Wu X., Yang X., et al. 2007. Ovarian development of swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus. Zool. Res. 28: 423-429 (in Chinese with English abstract).

Yu Z., Wu X., Chang G., et al. 2007. Changes in the main biochemical composition in ovaries and hepatopancreas of Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne-Edwards), during the second ovarian development. Acta. Hydrobiol. Sin. 31: 45-52. (in Chinese with English abstract).

Published

2014-06-30

How to Cite

1.
Liu Z, Wu X, Wang W, Yan B, Cheng Y. Size distribution and monthly variation of ovarian development for the female blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus in Beibu Gulf, off south China. Sci. mar. [Internet]. 2014Jun.30 [cited 2024Mar.28];78(2):257-68. Available from: https://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1527

Issue

Section

Articles