title: [Size frequency distribution and growth of the crabs Callinectes arcuatus and C. bellicosus (Decapoda: Portunidae) in Las Guásimas coastal lagoon, Mexico].
abstract: Information on size frequency distribution, the width-weight relation and growth parameters of the crabs Callinectes arcuatus and C. bellicosus is presented. The data comes from samples taken with a trawl net both day and night on a monthly basis from March 1998 to February 2000 in a coastal lagoon from Gulf of California. C. bellicosus (n=878) was more abundant than C. arcuatus (n=357) and its size frequency distribution presented carapace width CW ranges of 8.4-166 mm and 9-130 mm respectively. Both populations were mainly represented by juveniles (75 mm in CW) ranging from 37 to 75 mm in CW, and adults (>75 mm in CW) between 76 and 90 mm in CW. In both species the width-weight relation showed that males grow more than females, with an isometric growth tendency being observed. The growth parameters for C. arcuatus estimated using the von Bertalanffy Model, were: K = 0.84 year(-1), L infinity = 140 mm to = -0.12 for C. arcuatus, and K= 0.9 year(-1), L infinity = 169 mm to = -0.11 for C. bellicosus. These results showed that the relative age at which maximum growth is attained is between three and four years for both species.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., Unidad Sonora Carr. a Las Tinajas km 2.3 Predio El Tular, A.P. 349, C.P. 85454, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: José Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Arreola-Lizárraga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003386:Brachyura / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics