Author(s): Mitantè Djibril YEO, Ouattara N'golo David, Dagou SEKA and Abouo Béatrice ADEPO-GOURENE

Abstract: The present study describes the size structure, length-weight and length-length relationships and condition factor of the wild population of the crabs Ocypode africana, from the coast of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Samples were randomly collected, in three localities, from August 2019 to August 2022. A total of 441 specimens were collected. The weight, length and other descriptors were determined on each specimen. The size obtained for the population varied from 8.70 mm to 64.36 mm, with an average of 34.94±8.62 mm for females and 30.67±7.48 mm for males. The sampled population had a modal class structure of [25.86 - 31.58 mm] for the males from Abidjan and Grand-Jacques and [31.58 - 37.30 mm] for the females and the males from Grand-Bassam. The study of the growth allometry of the Abidjan and Grand-Bassam populations showed a higher allometry coefficient for females (b= 3.45 and b= 3.30 respectively) and a lower one for males (b= 2.64 and b= 2.24 respectively). The allometry coefficient threshold is 3. However, the entire Grand Jacques population including the males and the females, had major allometry (Female: b = 2.33; Male: b = 1.38). The condition factor for the males differed significantly from that of the females. We inferred from those observations that crab populations in Grand-Jacques were overweight compared with those in Grand-Bassam and Abidjan. These results constituted an important biological database on O. africana of the coast of Côte d’Ivoire, and for further studies on the ecology and the reproductive biology of this species.

DOI: 10.22271/fish.2024.v12.i6a.2991

Pages: 28-34  |  113 Views  46 Downloads

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