The effects lethal copper concentration on orange mud crab, scylla olivacea (Herbst, 1796)

Abstract

A 96h LC50 test for the orange mud crab Scylla o/ivacea was done and determined at l 64.2ppm. Based on this finding, a series of mud crab specimens were exposed to said 96h LC50 concentration for 31 days. The carapace, gills, heart, stomach, hepatopancreas and testes were harvested from all specimens and digested and prepped for an AAS to measure the copper intake or absorption by the organs. It is determined by a series of calculations and with the aid of SPSS software, that the hepatopancreas had the highest copper concentration after being exposed to the 96h LC50 concentration. This indicated that the hepatopancreas has the highest potential to absorb copper in the mud crabs body system. The lowest copper concentration was the testes which indicated low absorption of the copper.