Some morphometric characteristics in crab (Gould, 1841) Rhithropanopeus harrisii in the south of Caspian sea, the coast of Gorgan gulf

The biology data for Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) is insufficient. The aim of this study was to investigate some morphometric characteristics of Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) from the south part of the Caspian Sea (Gorgan Gulf) during a year from May 2017 until April 2018. Gill net and baited trap were used for sampling. The 50 specimens were caught in per month and investigated in the laboratory. Total length, total weight, carapace width and carapace length was measured for all specimens. The total weight for male and female was 2.107 ± 0.07 and 1.23 ± 0.06) respectively. The total length for male and female was 13.07 ± 0.16 and 11.02 ± 0.21 respectively. Comparison of length frequency and mean length showed a significant difference between the two sexes. The carapace width was in male crab 16.98± 0.23 and in female crab 14.19 ± 0.27 which showed a significant difference (p <0.05). The carapace diameter for male and female was 8.11±0.103 and 6.71 ± 0.13 respectively. The results indicated a significant difference for growth between two sexes.

Keywords:

Crab , Rhithropanopeus harrisii , Gorgan gulf