Morphometry characters comparison of the painted spiny lobster, Panulirus versicolor, from three locations in Simeulue Island

Abstract

The painted spiny lobster, Panulirus versicolor, is an economically spiny lobster species on Simeulue Island. Fishing pressure on this species is suspected of experiencing overfishing, with indications that its size is getting smaller during the fishing season. Therefore, it is necessary to manage existing lobster resources. Several aspects that need to be considered in the sustainability of fisheries management are related to biological aspects, including the study of morphometry characters. This study aims to compare the morphometric characteristics of P. versicolor from three locations in Simeulue Island. The research was conducted from March to May 2023 with three sampling locations, including East Simeulue, Teluk Dalam, and South Teupah. A total of 90 samples were sampled using the random sampling method. To differentiate or classify the population, 15 parameters of spiny lobster morphometry were studied using discriminant function analysis. The results led to the assertion that P. versicolor from three separate places belonged to the same population but had distinct subpopulations. This condition is affected by the lobster samples collected from nearby areas. The investigation of the relationship between length and weight revealed that the growth pattern of P. versicolor in three locations were negative allometric, with length increasing faster than weight increasing.