Ovarian maturation stages of orange mud crab, Scylla olivacea

Ovarian maturation of wild and captive Orange Mud Crab Scylla olivacea were recorded via morphological observation and histological study in order to determine the reproductive biology status of this species. In fact, this in the first report investigating ovarian maturation stages of S. olivacea based on the fatty acid composition examination. Based on the morphological, histological and fatty acids characteristics, ovarian maturation of S. olivacea was classified into four stages: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 and Stage 4. As the ovary mature from Stage 1 to Stage 4, the volume of ovary was also increased and fatty acids concentration were significantly increased. This report revealed that, ovarian maturation stages of S. olivacea are closely related to its morphological appearance (e.g. ovary color and shape), cellular development (e.g. oocyte size and GSI) and fatty acid composition (e.g. fatty acids concentration). The ovarian maturation stage classification of S. olivacea provides important information for further studies on reproductive biology of this species.

Azmie Bin Ghazali obtained his B. Sc. in Agrotechnology (Aquaculture) from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Malaysia in 2007 and M. Sc. in Aquaculture (Crustacean Nutrition) from the same universiti in 2013. He is currently a Research Officer in the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia.