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From Descriptive to Accurate Horseshoe Crab Size Variations in Wild Populations
 
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1
Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
 
2
Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia
 
3
IIUM Molecular and Cellular Biology Research Cluster (iMoleC), International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan hospital campus 25100, Kuantan, Malaysia
 
4
College of Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, 361102 Xiamen, Fujian, China
 
5
School of Business and Management, RMIT University, Vietnam, Handi Resco Building, 521 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
 
6
Center of Fundamental and Continuing Education, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
 
7
Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
 
8
Skills Innovation and Academic Network Institute, Association for Biodiversity Conservation and Research, 756001, Odisha, India
 
9
Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu
 
 
Publication date: 2022-12-01
 
 
Corresponding author
Bryan Raveen Nelson   

Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu.
 
 
J. Ecol. Eng. 2022; 23(12):273-284
 
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ABSTRACT
Horseshoe crabs have survived until Holocene but, their persistence beyond the Anthropocene is challenged by drastic environment modifications that entail impoverishments and the resultant unusual growth sizes. Previously, allometry via morphometric ratio was introduced to classify horseshoe crabs into normal-abnormal growth. But the descriptive size and weight analysis indicated a considerable portion of Tachypleus gigas with normal allometry. This error was caused by the median sorting of values. Therefore, the same data was treated with correlation before generating a linear equation. By being sexual dimorph, these arthropods actually have gender-specific morphology indicators which could generate a functional allometry. Since the assessed arthropods were mature, the 19 % yield of smaller female T. gigas was possibly due to degradation effects from poor diets or stress. But for this population, an added risk was female-only harvest. Perhaps, close sizing to male counterparts could be perceived a survival strategy by the female T. gigas. More evidence is needed to strengthen this opinion but for now, this assessment method is novel for accurate allometry assessments in species with sexual dimorphism. Overall, capture fisheries could have negative impacts and when made severe by sex-specific harvest, the unaccounted practices could collapse sustaining populations.
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