Abstract

PARAMO, Jorge  and  NUNEZ, Samuel. Size structure, size at sexual maturity and sex ratio of deep-sea shrimps of commercial importance in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. Rev. acad. colomb. cienc. exact. fis. nat. [online]. 2015, vol.39, n.152, pp.416-429. ISSN 0370-3908.  https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.242.

We present biological information of commercially important deep-sea shrimps for a potentially new fishery in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. To do so, our study aimed at providing information on the size structure, the size at sexual maturity and the sex ratio of the deep-sea shrimps Aristaeo morphafoliacea, Pleoticus robustus, Penaeopsis serrata. The samples were collected by trawling in depths ranging between 200 and 550 m (100 m strata intervals) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. We recorded the total weight, total length, sex and number of individuals per species from each station. The size at sexual maturity was determined by adjusting the logistic function of the proportion of mature specimens to 5 mm intervals of the total length. We found statistically significant differences in size and weight between sexes for the three species, thus revealing sexual dimorphism. The sex ratio in all deep-sea shrimp showed statistically significant differences (p=0,000) between the number of females and males by size class when compared to a 50% constant reference sex ratio. The relationship between the sex ratio and the size frequency distribution clearly showed a predominance of females in the smaller size groups in P. robustusand A. foliacea. However, in P. serratathe sex ratio was equal in the smaller sizes.

Keywords : Size structure; sex ratio; size at 50% maturity; Colombian Caribbean; deep-sea shrimps.

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