Relative growth of the freshwater prawn MAcrobrachium borellii (Nobili, 1896) (Decapoda: Palaemondae)

COLLINS P.

NAUPLIUS

Sociedad Carcinológica de Brasil

Año: 2001 vol. 9 p. 53 - 60

0104-6497

This study analyzed the relative growth on the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium borellii and its behavioural importance. The following structures were measured: total length (TL), cephalothoraxlength (CL), cephalothorac width (CW), propodus length of second pereiopod (PL), dactyl length of second pereiopod (DL) and chela width of second pereiopod (CHW). For males, the chela was the body part with the highest allometric growth. Besides, variability could introduce factors that determinig dominance when two individuals encounter. Chela size could be an indicator of the prawn potentially aggressive behaviour or it might be taken as weapon of the outcomes of fights than body size.