Biometric relationships of the spotted lobster,Panulirus echinatus, from Tamandaré coastal reefs, Pernambuco State, Brazil

Abstract

Biometric relationships were recorded for 2431 male and femalePanulirus echinatussampled at Tamandaré coastal reefs, Pernambuco, Brazil. The following body measurements were taken: carapace length and width, abdomen length and width, total length, third and fifth pereiopod length, cephalothorax–abdomen and total weight. Twelve relationships were studied to compare the biometric characteristics of males and females. Eleven of them showed difference between the sexes. Comparing sexes with the same carapace length, males have a heavier cephalothorax and longer third and fifth pereiopods than females, whereas females are longer, wider, and have a heavier abdomen than males. For genders with the same total length, males are heavier and have a longer carapace than females, while females have a larger abdomen. For genders with the same abdomen length, males have a heavier abdomen than females. The relationships TWg/TL and AWg/AL showed positive allometric growth for the males. All other relationships involving weight, presented negative allometric growth for both sexes.