Morphometric study of blood cockle (Anadara granosa) in Kendari Bay, Southeast Sulawesi

Abstract

Abstract The cockle immerses in the substrate of the intertidal zone. Their conditions and growth factors are highly dependent on nutrients around the waters of Kendari Bay. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between length, weight, and condition factors. The study was conducted in March 2016 to February 2017 at the intertidal zone of Kendari Bay. The samples were collected with a shovel in a 1x1 m square transect monthly. Furthermore, the length and weight of the shells were measured using a calliper and a digital scale with an accuracy of 0.5 cm and 0.001g, respectively. The cockle was oven-dried for 48 hours. Simple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between length and weight, while the condition factors were examined using the Mann-Whitney test. The results showed that male and female cockle shells had b values in the negative allometric and isometric categories, which spread from the respective ranges of 2.31-3.06 and 2.21-3.23. The b values for males and females increased in March-September and then decreased in October-February. Meanwhile, the condition factors of male and female mussels based on size and time of observation were not significantly different and ranged from 3.24±1.33-7.07±0.43 and 2.94±0.54-6.63±1.09. The highest condition index was discovered in October, March, and August, respectively, while the lowest occurred in June and September.