On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900
Background The present study investigated the population structure and breeding biology of the burrowing brachyuran crab species Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900, which is commonly found on the sandy beach of Bhavnagar, located on the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat coast, India. Methods Monthly sampling was...
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PeerJ Inc.
2024-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/17065.pdf |
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| author | Krupal Patel Heris Patel Daoud Ali Swapnil Gosavi Nisha Choudhary Virendra Kumar Yadav Kauresh Vachhrajani Ashish Patel Dipak Kumar Sahoo Jigneshkumar Trivedi |
| author_facet | Krupal Patel Heris Patel Daoud Ali Swapnil Gosavi Nisha Choudhary Virendra Kumar Yadav Kauresh Vachhrajani Ashish Patel Dipak Kumar Sahoo Jigneshkumar Trivedi |
| author_sort | Krupal Patel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background The present study investigated the population structure and breeding biology of the burrowing brachyuran crab species Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900, which is commonly found on the sandy beach of Bhavnagar, located on the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat coast, India. Methods Monthly sampling was conducted from February 2021 to January 2022 at the time of low tide using three line transects perpendicular to the water line, intercepted by a quadrate (0.25 m2) each at three different levels of the middle intertidal region: 20 m, 70 m, and 120 m. The quadrate area was excavated up to 30 cm and sieved for specimen collection. The collected specimens were categorised into different sexes viz., male, non-ovigerous female, or ovigerous female. For the fecundity study of D. blanfordi, the carapace width (mm) as a measure of size as well as their wet weight (g), size, number, and mass of their eggs were also recorded. Results The study revealed sexual dimorphism among the population, with females having significantly smaller sizes as compared to males. The overall population was skewed towards females, with a bimodal distribution of males and females. The occurrence of ovigerous females throughout the year suggests that the population breeds incessantly throughout the year, with the highest occurrence in August and September. A positive correlation was observed between the morphology of crabs (carapace width and wet body weight) and the size, number, and mass of eggs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:30:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5a56a3ad82b410cb066b0b2c40d477a |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:30:47Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5a56a3ad82b410cb066b0b2c40d477a2024-03-15T15:05:12ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592024-03-0112e1706510.7717/peerj.17065On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900Krupal Patel0Heris Patel1Daoud Ali2Swapnil Gosavi3Nisha Choudhary4Virendra Kumar Yadav5Kauresh Vachhrajani6Ashish Patel7Dipak Kumar Sahoo8Jigneshkumar Trivedi9Department of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Zoology, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Zoology, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, IndiaBackground The present study investigated the population structure and breeding biology of the burrowing brachyuran crab species Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900, which is commonly found on the sandy beach of Bhavnagar, located on the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat coast, India. Methods Monthly sampling was conducted from February 2021 to January 2022 at the time of low tide using three line transects perpendicular to the water line, intercepted by a quadrate (0.25 m2) each at three different levels of the middle intertidal region: 20 m, 70 m, and 120 m. The quadrate area was excavated up to 30 cm and sieved for specimen collection. The collected specimens were categorised into different sexes viz., male, non-ovigerous female, or ovigerous female. For the fecundity study of D. blanfordi, the carapace width (mm) as a measure of size as well as their wet weight (g), size, number, and mass of their eggs were also recorded. Results The study revealed sexual dimorphism among the population, with females having significantly smaller sizes as compared to males. The overall population was skewed towards females, with a bimodal distribution of males and females. The occurrence of ovigerous females throughout the year suggests that the population breeds incessantly throughout the year, with the highest occurrence in August and September. A positive correlation was observed between the morphology of crabs (carapace width and wet body weight) and the size, number, and mass of eggs.https://peerj.com/articles/17065.pdfFecundityFrequency distributionGulf of KhambhatIntertidal regionDotillidaeSandy beach |
| spellingShingle | Krupal Patel Heris Patel Daoud Ali Swapnil Gosavi Nisha Choudhary Virendra Kumar Yadav Kauresh Vachhrajani Ashish Patel Dipak Kumar Sahoo Jigneshkumar Trivedi On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900 PeerJ Fecundity Frequency distribution Gulf of Khambhat Intertidal region Dotillidae Sandy beach |
| title | On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900 |
| title_full | On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900 |
| title_fullStr | On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900 |
| title_full_unstemmed | On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900 |
| title_short | On population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi Alcock, 1900 |
| title_sort | on population structure and breeding biology of burrowing crab dotilla blanfordi alcock 1900 |
| topic | Fecundity Frequency distribution Gulf of Khambhat Intertidal region Dotillidae Sandy beach |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/17065.pdf |
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