Do you want to stay informed about this journal? Click the buttons to subscribe to our alerts.
Reproductive biology of the ghost crab, Ocypode rotundata Miers, 1882 (Decapoda, Ocypodidae) at Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf
In: CrustaceanaAbstract
This study aimed to investigate some key aspects of the reproductive strategy of Ocypode rotundata Miers, 1882 from southwest beaches of Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf, Iran, by providing information regarding its sex ratio, sexual maturity, spawning period and fecundity. Samples were taken monthly, from February 2015 to January 2016. Size at the onset of morphometric maturity was estimated at 38.57 mm carapace width. The overall sex ratio (males/females) was observed as 1.13 : 1.00. On monthly based analyses, the sex ratio showed no significant differences, although a significant deviation was observed toward males in the larger size classes. According to the gonadosomatic index (GSI), gonad maturity and occurrence of ovigerous females, the main breeding season occurs from March to October, with a remarkable peak in June. Fecundity ranged from 24 152 to 10 5287 eggs per individual, with a mean value of 52 389 ± 25 660. The ratio between fecundity and carapace width varied from 632 to 2044 eggs/mm (mean: 1198 ± 472 eggs/mm) and fecundity relative to total mass varied from 771 to 1965 eggs/g (mean: 1336.66 ± 425.43 eggs/g). The reproductive output ranged from 1.04 to 3.78 (mean: 2.35 ± 0.90). The shape of the egg was spherical and it included 6 stages of growth, ranging from fully filled with yolk to fully occupied by the embryo. We concluded that reproduction in O. rotundata is seasonal, and that spawning occurs in an appropriate period to ensure maximum survival of the offspring. The fecundity of O. rotundata is higher than that of other species of Brachyura, with GSI variations being related to temperature. Overall, the results of this study provide relevant information for the reproduction in general and the breeding seasons of O. rotundata, whicht can be useful for conservation and management policies aimed at preserving the biodiversity of ghost crabs along the Persian Gulf’s sandy shores.
Resumen
Este estudioha tenidocomo objetivo investigar algunos aspectos clave de la estrategia reproductiva de Ocypode rotundata Miers, 1882 en playas del suroeste de la isla de Qeshm, Golfo Pérsico, Irán, aportando información sobre el sex-ratio, la madurez sexual, los periodos de puesta y la fecundidad. Las muestras se tomaron mensualmente, desde febrero de 2015 hasta enero de 2016. El tamaño al inicio de la madurez morfométrica se estimó en 38,57 mm de ancho de caparazón. La proporción sexual total (machos/hembras) fue de 1,13 : 1,00. A partir de un análisis mensual, las proporciones de ambos sexos no mostraron diferencias significativas, pero se observó una desviación significativa a favor de los cangrejos machos en las clases de mayor tamaño. De acuerdo con el índice gonadosomático, la madurez de las gónadas y la aparición de hembras ovígeras, el periodo principal de reproducción ocurre de marzo a octubre, con un notable pico en junio. La fecundidad varió de 24 152 a 105 287 huevos por individuo, con un valor medio de 52 389 ± 25 660. La relación entre la fecundidad y la anchura del caparazón varió de 632 a 2044 huevos/mm (media: 1198 ± 472 huevos/mm), y la fecundidad en relación a la masa total varió de 771 a 1965 huevos/g (media: 1336.66 ± 425.43 huevos/g). El output reproductivo varió de 1,04 a 3,78 (media: 2,35 ± 0,90). La forma del huevo fue esférica e incluía 6 etapas de crecimiento, que iban desde un llenado complete por yema, hasta la ocupación embrionaria. Este estudio concluye que la reproducción de O. rotundata es estacional, con fases de puesta acopladas aperíodosen los que la supervivencia de las larvas está asegurada. La fecundidad de O. rotundata es mayor que la de otras especies de Brachyura, con variaciones de GSI relacionadas con la temperatura. Los resultados de estee studio serán útiles para el desarrollo de políticas de conservación y ordenación dirigidas a preservar la biodiversidad de cangrejos fantasma a lo largo de las costas del Golfo Pérsico.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Ahmed, M. & J. Mustaquim, 1974. Population structure of four species of porcellanid crabs (Decapoda: Anomura) occurring on the coast of Karachi. Marine Biology, 26: 173-182.
-
Alberto, R. M. F. & N. F. Fontoura, 1999. Distribução e estruturaetária de Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae) em praia arenosa do litoral sul do Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 59: 95-108.
-
Amirikazemi, A., 2005. Geotourism atlas of Qeshm Island. (National Geoscience Database of Iran, Ministry of Industry and Mines).
-
Anger, K., 1995. The conquest of fresh water and land by marine crabs: adaptations in life-history patterns and larval bioenergetics. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 193: 119-145.
-
Anger, K. & G. S. Moreira, 1998. Morphometric and reproductive traits of tropical caridean shrimps. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 4: 823-838.
-
Arshad, A., M. S. Kamarudin & C. R. Saad, 2006. Study on fecundity and larval development of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) under laboratory conditions. Research Journal of Fisheries and Hydrobiology, 1: 35-44.
-
Baeza, J. A. & P. Hernaez, 2015. Population distribution, sexual dimorphism, and reproductive parameters in the crab Pinnixa valdiviensis Rathbun, 1907 (Decapoda: Pinnotheridae), a symbiont of the ghost shrimp Callichirus garthi (Retamal, 1975) in the southeastern Pacific. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 35: 68-75.
-
Baker, A. C., C. J. Starger, T. R. McClanahan & P. W. Glynn, 2004. Corals’ adaptive response to climate change. Nature, 430: 741.
-
Bas, C. C. & E. D. Spivak, 2000. Effect of salinity on embryos of two southwestern Atlantic estuarine grapsid crab species cultured in vitro. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 20: 647-656.
-
Bas, C. C., E. D. Spivak & K. Anger, 2007. Seasonal and interpopulational variability in fecundity, egg size, and elemental composition (CHN) of eggs and larvae in a grapsoid crab, Chasmagnathus granulatus. Helgoland Marine Research, 61: 225-237.
-
Bauer, R. T., 1992. Testing generalizations about latitudinal variation in reproduction and recruitment patterns with sicyonid and caridean shrimp species. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 22: 193-202.
-
Bezerra, L. E. A. & H. Matthews-Cascon, 2006. Population structure of the fiddler crab Uca leptodactylus Rathbun, 1898 (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) in a tropical mangrove of northeast Brazil. Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences, 22: 65-74.
-
Bezerra, L. E. A. & H. Matthews-Cascon, 2007. Population and reproductive biology of the fiddler crab Uca thayeri Rathbun, 1900 (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) in a tropical mangrove from northeast Brazil. Acta Oecologica, 31: 251-258.
-
Branco, J. O., J. C. Hillesheim, H. A. A. Fracasso, M. L. Christoffersen & C. L. Evangelista, 2010. Bioecology of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea: Brachyura) compared with other intertidal crabs in the southwestern Atlantic. Journal of Shellfish Research, 29: 503-512.
-
Brooke, M. L., 1981. Size as a factor influencing the ownership of copulation burrows by the ghost crab (Ocypode ceratophthalmus). Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 55: 63-78.
-
Chan, B. K. K., K. K. Y. Chan & P. C. M. Leung, 2006. Burrow architecture of the ghost crab Ocypode ceratophthalma on a sandy shore in Hong Kong. Hydrobiologia, 560: 43-49.
-
Chartosia, N., M. S. Kitsos, T. H. Tzomos, E. Mavromati & A. Koukouras, 2010. Diet composition of five species of crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) that show a gradual transition from marine to terrestrial life. Crustaceana, 83: 1181-1197.
-
Chockley, B. R. & C. M. S. Mary, 2003. Effects of body size on growth, survivorship, and reproduction in the banded coral shrimp, Stenopus hispidus. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 23: 836-848.
-
Clarke, A., C. C. E. Hopkin & E. M. Nilssen, 1991. Egg size and reproductive output in the deep-water prawn Pandalus borealis Krøyer, 1838. Functional Ecology, 5: 724-730.
-
Correa, M. O. D. A., L. S. Andrade, C. R. Costa, A. L. Castilho, G. Bertini & A. Fransozo, 2014. Vertical distribution by demographic groups of ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Crustacea: Brachyura). Biologia, 67: 905-915.
-
Costa, T. M. & M. L. Negreiros-Fransozo, 2002. Population biology of Uca thayeri Rathbun, 1900 (Brachyura, Ocypodidae) in a subtropical South American mangrove area: results from transect and catch-per-unit-effort techniques. Crustaceana, 75: 1201-1218.
-
Costa, T. M., S. M. J. Silva & M. L. Negreiros-Fransozo, 2006. Reproductive pattern comparison of Uca thayeri Rathbun, 1900 and U. uruguayensis Nobili, 1901 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae). Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, 49: 117-123.
-
Costa, T. M. & A. Soares-Gomes, 2009. Population structure and reproductive biology of Uca rapax (Decapoda: Ocypodidae) in a tropical coastal lagoon, southeast Brazil. Zoologia, 26: 647-657.
-
Diaz, H. & J. E. Conde, 1989. Population dynamics and life history of the mangrove crab Aratus pisonii (Brachyura, Grapsidae) in a marine environment. Bulletin of Marine Science, 45: 148-163.
-
Echeverria-Saenz, S. & I. S. Wehrtmann, 2011. Egg production of the commercially exploited deepwater shrimp, Heterocarpus vicarius (Decapoda: Pandalidae), Pacific Costa Rica. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 31: 434-440.
-
Fellows, D. P., 1966. Zonation and burrowing behavior of the ghost crabs Ocypode ceratophthalmus (Pallas) and Ocypode laevis Dana in Hawaii. (Thesis, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI).
-
Figueiredo, J., G. Penha-Lopes, J. Anto, L. Narciso & J. Lin, 2008. Potential fertility and egg development (volume, water, lipid, and fatty acid content) through embryogenesis of Uca rapax (Decapoda, Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 28(3): 523-528.
-
Fransozo, A., M. L. Negreiros-Fransozo & G. Bertini, 2002. Morphometric study of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1887) (Brachyura, Ocypodidae) from Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. In: Modern approaches to the study of Crustacea: 189-195. (Springer, New York, NY).
-
Gimenez, L. & K. Anger, 2001. Relationships among salinity, egg size, embryonic development, and larval biomass in the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata Dana, 1951. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 200: 241-257.
-
Gregati, R. A. & M. L. Negreiros-Fransozo, 2009. Population biology of the burrowing crab Neohelice granulata (Crustacea: Decapoda: Varunidae) from a tropical mangrove in Brazil. Zoologia, 26: 32-37.
-
Guillory, V. & S. Hein, 1997. Sexual maturity in blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus. Proceedings of Coastal Fishing, Louisiana’s Blue Crab Resource. LA St. University Academy of Science, 59: 5-7.
-
Haley, S. R., 1969. Relative growth and sexual maturity of the Texas ghost crab, Ocypode quadrata (Fabr.) (Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Crustaceana, 17: 285-297.
-
Haley, S. R., 1972. Reproductive cycling in the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius) (Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Crustaceana, 23: 1-11.
-
Haley, S. R., 1973. On the use of morphometric data as a guide to reproductive maturity in the ghost crab, Ocypode ceratophthalmus (Pallas) (Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Pacific Science, 27: 350-362.
-
Hartnoll, R. G., 1969. Mating in the Brachyura. Crustaceana, 16: 161-181.
-
Hartnoll, R. G., 1985. Growth, sexual maturity and reproductive output. In: A. WENNER, (ed.), Crustacean growth: factors in adult growth. Crustacean Issues, 3: 101-128. (A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam).
-
Hartnoll, R. G. & P. Gould, 1988. Brachyuran life history strategies and the optimization of egg production. In: A. A. Fincham & P. S. Rainbow (eds.), Aspects of decapod crustacean biology. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London, 59: 1-9.
-
Henmi, Y., 1989. Reproductive ecology of three ocypodid crabs. II. Incubation sites and egg mortality. Ecological Research, 4: 261-269.
-
Henmi, Y., 2003. Trade-off between brood size and brood interval and the evolution of under ground incubation in three fiddler crabs (Uca perplexa, U. vocans, and U. dussumieri). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 23: 46-54.
-
Henmi, Y. & M. Kaneto, 1989. Reproductive ecology of three ocypodid crabs I. The influence of activity differences on reproductive traits. Ecological Research, 4: 17-29.
-
Hines, A. H., 1982. Allometric constraints and variables of reproductive effort in brachyuran crabs. Marine Biology, 69: 309-320.
-
Hines, A. H., 1991. Fecundity and reproductive output in nine species of Cancer crabs (Crustacea, Brachyura, Cancridae). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 48: 267-275.
-
Hughes, D. A., 1973. On mating and the “copulation burrows” of crabs of the genus Ocypode (Decapoda, Brachyura). Crustaceana, 24: 72-79.
-
Ituarte, R. O., C. Bas, T. A. Luppi & E. D. Spivak, 2006. Interpopulational differences in the female reproductive cycle of the southwestern Atlantic estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulatus Dana, 1851 (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Varunidae). Scientia Marina, 74: 709-718.
-
Kobayashi, S. & S. Matsuura, 1995. Egg development and variation of egg size in the Japanese mitten crab Eriocheir japonicas (De Haan). Benthos Research, 48: 29-39.
-
Koga, T., M. Murai, S. Goshima & S. Poovachiranon, 2000. Under ground mating in the fiddler crab Uca tetragonon: the association between female life history traits and male mating tactics. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 248: 35-52.
-
Leme, M. H. A., 2002. A comparative analysis of the population biology of the mangrove crabs Aratus pisonii and Sesarma rectum (Brachyura, Grapsidae) from the north coast of Sao Paulo state Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 22: 553-557.
-
Litulo, C., 2005. Population biology of the fiddler crab Uca annulipes (Brachyura, Ocypodidae) in a tropical east African mangrove (Mozambique). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 62: 283-290.
-
Litulo, C., 2006. Population and reproductive biology of the fiddler crab Uca chlorophtalmus (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) from Inhaca, southern Mozambique. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 86: 737-742.
-
Lucrezi, S. & T. A. Schlacher, 2014. The ecology of ghost crabs. Oceanography and Marine Biology, Annual Review, 52: 201-256.
-
Lucrezi, S., T. A. Schlacher & W. Robinson, 2009. Human disturbance as a cause of bias in ecological indicators for sandy beaches: experimental evidence for the effects of human trampling on ghost crabs (Ocypode spp.). Ecological Indicators, 9: 913-921.
-
Milne, L. J. & M. J. Milne, 1946. Notes on the behavior of the ghost crab. The American Naturalist, 80: 362-380.
-
Mori, M., F. Biagi & S. De Ranieri, 1998. Fecundity and egg loss during incubation in Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in the north Tyrrhenian Sea. Journal of Natural History, 32: 1641-1650.
-
Mota-Alves, M. L., 1975. Sobre a reproduyao do caranguejo-uya, Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus), em mangues do Estado do Ceara – Brasil. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar, 15: 85-91.
-
Naderloo, R. & M. Türkay, 2012. Decapod crustaceans of the littoral and shallow sublittoral Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: faunistics, biodiversity and zoogeography. Zootaxa, 3374: 1-67.
-
Najafi, A., 2014. Population and reproductive biology of ghost crab Ocypode rotundata (Miers, 1882) in Chabahar, Oman Sea, Iran. (Thesis, Chabahar Maritime University, Chabahar, Iran).
-
Negreiros-Fransozo, M. L., A. Fransozo & B. Bertini, 2002. Reproductive cycle and recruitment period of Ocypode quadrata (Decapoda, Ocypodidae) at a sandy beach in southeastern Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 22: 157-161.
-
Olive, P. J. W., 1992. The adaptive significance of seasonal reproduction in marine invertebrates: the importance of distinguishing between models. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 22: 165-174.
-
Olive, P. J. W., 1995. Annual breeding cycles in marine invertebrates and environmental temperature: probing the proximate and ultimate causes of reproductive synchrony. Journal of Thermal Biology, 20: 79-90.
-
Pinheiro, M. A. A., M. D. Baveloni & S. L. Terceiro, 2003. Fecundity of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 43: 19-26.
-
Pombo, M. & A. Turra, 2015. The Atlantic ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Decapoda: Ocypodidae) as bioindicator of sandy beaches: assessment of the influence of environmental, behavioral and population factors. (Thesis, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil).
-
Quackenbush, L. S., 2011. Crustacean endocrinology, a review. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 43: 2271-2282.
-
Rabalais, N. N. & J. N. Cameron, 1983. Abbreviated development of Uca subcylindrica (Stimpson, 1859) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae) reared in the laboratory. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 3: 519-541.
-
Ramirez-Liodra, E., 2002. Fecundity and life-history strategies in marine invertebrates. Advances in Marine Biology, 43: 87-170.
-
Rice, P. R. & B. Armitage, 1974. The influence of photoperiod on processes associated with molting and reproduction in the crayfish Orconectes nais (Faxon). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 47(A): 243-259.
-
Rodriguez, A., P. Drake & A. M. Arias, 1997. Reproductive periods and larval abundance of the crabs Panopeus africanus and Uca tangeri in a shallow inlet (SW Spain). Marine Ecology Progress Series, 149: 133-142.
-
Sakai, K. & M. Türkay, 2013. Revision of the genus Ocypode with the description of a new genus, Hoplocypode (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum Nature, 56: 665-793.
-
Sastry, A. N., 1983. Ecological aspects of reproduction. In: F. J. Vernberg & W. B. Vernberg (eds.), The biology of Crustacea, 8, Environmental adaptations: 179-270. (Academic Press, New York, NY).
-
Schulte, S. A., 2012. Ecology and population dynamics of American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus). (Thesis, Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC).
-
Sherfy, J. A., 1986. Aspects of the foraging behavior of the painted ghost crab (Ocypode gaudichaudii): the influence of density-dependent agonistic interactions, predation and reproductive biology. (Thesis, University of California, Berkeley, CA).
-
Shih, H. T., P. K. L. Ng, P. J. F. Davie, C. D. Schubart, M. Türkay, R. Naderloo, D. Jones & M. Y. Liu, 2016. Systematics of the family Ocypodidae Rafinesque, 1815 (Crustacea: Brachyura), based on phylogenetic relationships, with a reorganization of subfamily rankings and a review of the taxonomic status of Uca Leach, 1814, sensu lato and its subgenera. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 64: 139-175.
-
Strachan, P. H., R. C. Smith, D. A. B. Hamilton, A. C. Taylor & R. J. A. Atkinson, 1999. Studies on the ecology and behavior of the ghost crab, Ocypode cursor (L.) in northern Cyprus. Scientia Marina, 63: 51-60.
-
Sukumaran, M., 1985. Certain aspects of reproductive biology of the ghost crab, Ocypode platytarsi. (Thesis, University of Calicut, Kerala, India).
-
Terossi, M., I. S. Wehrtmann & F. L. Mantelatto, 2010. Interpopulation comparison of reproduction of the Atlantic shrimp Hippolyte obliquimanus (Caridea: Hippolytidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 30: 571-579.
-
Tuset, V. M., D. I. Espinosa, A. Gracia-Mederos, J. A. Satana & J. A. Gonzalez, 2011. Egg development and fecundity estimation in deep-sea red crab, Chaceon affinis (Geryonidae), off the Canary Islands (NE Atlantic). Fishery Research, 109: 373-378.
-
Walker, A., S. Ando, G. D. Smith & R. F. Lee, 2006. The utilization of lipovitellin during blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) embryogenesis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 143(B): 201-208.
-
Wenner, A. M., 1972. Sex ratio as a function of size in marine crustaceans. The American Naturalist, 106: 321-350.
-
Wenner, A. M., C. Fusard & A. Oaten, 1974. Size at onset of sexual maturity and growth rate in crustacean populations. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 52: 1095-1106.
-
Wolcott, T. G., 1978. Ecological role of ghost crabs, Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius) on an ocean beach: scavengers or predators? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 31: 67-82.
-
Yamaguchi, T., 2001. Incubation of eggs and embryonic development of the fiddler crab, Uca lactea (Decapoda, Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Crustaceana, 74: 449-458.
-
Yang, C. P., H. X. Li, L. Li, J. Xu & Y. Yan, 2014. Population structure, morphometric analysis and reproductive biology of Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae) in Honghai Bay, South China Sea. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 34: 722-730.
-
Zahedi, F., 2014. Population dynamic of the ghost crab (Ocypode rotundata) in tidal zone of Jask port in Hormozgan. (Thesis, University of Hormozgan, Hormozgan, Iran).
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 564 | 108 | 4 |
| Full Text Views | 192 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 43 | 9 | 0 |
Reproductive biology of the ghost crab, Ocypode rotundata Miers, 1882 (Decapoda, Ocypodidae) at Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf
In: CrustaceanaAbstract
This study aimed to investigate some key aspects of the reproductive strategy of Ocypode rotundata Miers, 1882 from southwest beaches of Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf, Iran, by providing information regarding its sex ratio, sexual maturity, spawning period and fecundity. Samples were taken monthly, from February 2015 to January 2016. Size at the onset of morphometric maturity was estimated at 38.57 mm carapace width. The overall sex ratio (males/females) was observed as 1.13 : 1.00. On monthly based analyses, the sex ratio showed no significant differences, although a significant deviation was observed toward males in the larger size classes. According to the gonadosomatic index (GSI), gonad maturity and occurrence of ovigerous females, the main breeding season occurs from March to October, with a remarkable peak in June. Fecundity ranged from 24 152 to 10 5287 eggs per individual, with a mean value of 52 389 ± 25 660. The ratio between fecundity and carapace width varied from 632 to 2044 eggs/mm (mean: 1198 ± 472 eggs/mm) and fecundity relative to total mass varied from 771 to 1965 eggs/g (mean: 1336.66 ± 425.43 eggs/g). The reproductive output ranged from 1.04 to 3.78 (mean: 2.35 ± 0.90). The shape of the egg was spherical and it included 6 stages of growth, ranging from fully filled with yolk to fully occupied by the embryo. We concluded that reproduction in O. rotundata is seasonal, and that spawning occurs in an appropriate period to ensure maximum survival of the offspring. The fecundity of O. rotundata is higher than that of other species of Brachyura, with GSI variations being related to temperature. Overall, the results of this study provide relevant information for the reproduction in general and the breeding seasons of O. rotundata, whicht can be useful for conservation and management policies aimed at preserving the biodiversity of ghost crabs along the Persian Gulf’s sandy shores.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 564 | 108 | 4 |
| Full Text Views | 192 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 43 | 9 | 0 |