Effect of water temperature and photoperiod on female ovarian development and oviposition of orange mub crab, Scylla olivacea (herbst, 1796)

Abstract

This study was conducted in the marine hatche.ry of AKUATROP, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu using orange mud crab, Scylla olivacea obtained from Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu. The significance of this study is to develop berried female production technique in captivity using different temperature regimes and photoperiod. This study was done to examine ovarian development and oviposition of laboratory reared S. olivacea under different water temperature regimes; low temperature ° condition (20 ° C - 24 C), control temperature condition (25 ° ° C - 29 C) and high temperature condition (28 ° ° C - 30 C) as well as under different photoperiod regimes, control photoperiod condition (12 hours daylight and 12 hours darkness), 24 hours daylight and 24 hours darkness. However, only 10 crabs managed to achieve stage 4 maturity; 3 crabs in 24 hours Daylight regime, 2 crabs in low temperature regime and 5 in high temperature regime.