Population biology of the box crab hepatus pudibundus (Crustacea: Aethridae) off the coast of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Sardá, Francine de Oliveira
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: Machado, Irecê Farina, Prata, Pedro Fernandes Sanmartin, Dumont, Luiz Felipe Cestari
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da FURG (RI FURG)
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.furg.br/handle/1/5809
• topic: Crab; Distribution; Abundance; Trawling; Biometric relationship; Caranguejo; Distribuição; Abundância; Arrasto; Relações biométricas

The trawler fishery for the Xiphopenaeus kroyeri in south Brazil, affects populations of some benthic species, such as the Hepatus pudibundus. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of environmental factors on abundance and spatial-temporal distribution of H. pudibundus, and its population structure. Samples were collected from May 2008 to April 2010 off the Balneário Camboriú coast, SC, Brazil. Three transects were established at mean depths 7, 14 and 19 m. A total of 1882 individual was collected. Higher densities were recorded in shallow waters, where the temperature is higher and the salinity is lower. The highest abundance of ovigerous females was recorded from November to April. The sex ratio was 1 male: 1.04 females. Males reached larger sizes than females, with mean sizes of 49.48±17.55 mm and 47.15±13.87 mm, respectively. For both sexes and ovigerous females, the mean value of the carapace width was higher at 7 m isobaths. The width-weight relationship presented a negative allometry for females (b=2.95) and males (b=2.94). The carapace length and width had a negative allometry for females (b=0.72) and males (b=0.68). The seabob shrimp closed season may be influencing negatively the H. pudibundus abundance, especially, upon ovigerous females and recruits.