THE MORPHOMETRIC VARIATIONS OF HORSESHOE CRAB (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) COLLECTED FROM TWO DIFFERENT ECOLOGICAL HABITATS OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA  

The muddy horseshoe crab or the specific name is Carcinoscarpius rotundicauda can be found on most of the states in Malaysia. However, the information regarding morphometric variation and genetic variation of C. rotundicauda in Malaysia were limited. The objectives of the study were to measure the morphometric parameters of the horseshoe crab, C. rotundicauda in Pantai Klanang, Selangor and Pantai Merlimau Melaka. The average of the total length for male horseshoe crab was 20.93 ± 2.13 cm, while for the female horseshoe crab was 23.34 ± 2.02 cm in Pantai Klanang (Table 1). For Pantai Merlimau, the average total length for male was 20.46 ± 2.12 cm, while for the female horseshoe crab was 27.95 ± 2.73 cm. Mean of weight for male and female of C. rotundicauda in Pantai Klanang were 44.44 g and 52.5 g respectively while in Pantai Merlimau were 85.2 g and 131.0 g (Table 1). The allometry relationship between different body parameters in Pantai Klanang and Pantai Merlimau mostly had positive allometry relationships. Therefore, this study showed the morphometric variation information of C. rotundicauda in some regions of Peninsular Malaysia. These information can be useful for the study of the conservation and genetic population of C. rotundicauda in the future.