Morphometrics and Maturity Indices of the Spiny Lobster, Panulirus penicillatus (Decapoda: Palinuridae) at Al-Wajh Waters of the Red Sea PDF

Keywords

Red Sea; Spiny Lobster; Panulirus; crustaceans; length-weight relationships; Morphometric analysis.

Abstract

The morphometrics and maturity indices of the spiny lobster Panulirus penicillatus found in Al Wajh waters of the Red Sea were studied from June to November 2010. The collection totally included 112 animals composed of 37% males and 63% females registering a male: female sex ratio of 1:1.7. The data also indicated higher size range with males. Analysis of total population indicated that highest number of animals (n=14) were in the smaller size range of 49 to 54 mm followed by 55 to 60 mm size class (n=13). Results also indicated that male-female ratio varied between sampling months. The percentage of females carrying eggs was highest in June (65%) and showed a declining phase touching 50% in September. In October, the value again climbed to 57% but followed by steeper drop to 25% of females in November. The CL/TL (Carapace length/Total length) ratio ranged from 0.33 to 0.50 and the significant correlation coefficient observed between CL and TL in both male and female.