Accumulation of Lipofuscin and preliminary estimation of age-structure in wild mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) population in tropical mangrove swamps, Thailand

Abstract

The age structure of wild mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) was explored using autoflourescent age pigment, lipofuscim. Stamples were collected from the mangrove swamp area in Pak Phanang mangrove swamps, Thailand. The carapace width frequency distribution did not show any distinct modes of the sample population whereas lipofuscin concentration showed positive correlation with carapace width. Lipofuscin concentration in the Olfactory Lobe Cell Mass (OLCM) of the brain was measured using image analysis of flourescent micrographs. The lipofuscin concentration (% of area fraction) ranged from 0.06 to 0.26 with the formation of three regularly-spaced modes developed by modal analysis that could be regarded as distinct age classes. Strong correlation was found between lipofuscin concentration and modes observed in the lipofuscin concentration histogram (R2=0.99) and the lipofuscin accumulation rate was almost constant (0.08% of area fraction) In each year. Although, existence of wide size ranged population in a lipofuscin concentration mode, the analysis suggested that S. paramamosain live in the mangrove ecosystem at best of 2 year class. © 2009 Academic Journals Inc.