POPULATION DYNAMICS OF MAYDELLIATHELPHUSA MASONIANA HENDERSON 1893 FROM FRESHWATER BODIES OF JAMMU REGION (JAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA)Harmeen Kour, Seema Langer and Nipoon SharmaAbstract Maydelliathelphusa masoniana Henderson 1893 is a Gecarcinucid crab found in various water bodies of Jammu region, wherein the population structure, growth parameters and effect of rainfall on the recruitment of juveniles have been studied. A total of 437 crabs were sampled randomly on monthly basis between October 2017 and September 2019, of which 118 were males, 174 females and 145 immature individuals. Population analysis of the species shows that asymptotic carapace width (CWï¥) was 58.80 mm with growth coefficient (K) 0.750 year-1 and growth performance index (ï¦) of 3.414. The von Bertalanffy model indicated a relatively slow growth in the crab species, with a maximum life span of 4.743 years and natural mortality estimated as 1.10 year-1. The results indicated that spawning in this species can be considered seasonal while the simultaneous emergence of juveniles with high rainfall levels can probably be due to higher food availability and potential sites for protection from various predators in the natural habitat. The distorted sex ratio (1:0.64) (â:â)may be attributed to parameters such as growth rate, mortality, behavioral difference, differential habitat, food restriction, and abiotic influence on the sexes. The results showed that proper management is very critical for survival and development of M. masoniana crab in freshwater bodies of Jammu region. |