Population dynamics crab Hepatus pudibundus (Herbst, 1785) (Crustacea, Decapoda: Aethridae) in the region of Cananéia, extreme south of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

The crab Hepatus pudibundus although has wide distribution along the Brazilian coast has no commercial interest but is intensely caught as bycatch in fishing for penaeid shrimp and hence subject to the same impacts on target species. As a result, the purpose of this study is a better understanding of the life cycle of this species by analyzing their population dynamics. To do so will be investigated sexual maturity, reproductive period, youth recruitment, sex ratio, growth and longevity of individuals in Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil. Monthly samples were collected between July/12 and May/14 in seven sampling stations, through a shrimping boat equipped with a trawl of the "otter trawl" and the sampling effort of 30 minutes/drag. At each sampling station were monitored abiotic factors temperature and salinity of the bottom water and surface chlorophyll-dissolved in water, organic matter content and grain size of the sediment. The collected crabs were quantified, measured as the carapace width (mm), heavy (g), identified as the sex and observed gonadal stages of both sexes. According to the results, will be performed analyzes relevant statistics every objective. (AU)