Seasonal population patterns of Holothuria Arenicola Semper, 1868 from Karachi coast, Northern Arabian Sea

Abstract

The present study was carried out to assess the reproduction weight-length based growth and condition factor of Holothuria arenicola Semper, 1868, from January to December 2018, in Karachi coast, Northern Arabian Sea. The sex percentage was determined as 33.3% females and 66.7% males. Length of specimens ranged from 14 and 38 cm and weight of specimens ranged from 21 and 82 g. The relationship was W = 2.408 L^0.9482 (R² = 0.999) for females, W = 0.989 L^0.9482 (R² = 0.998) for males and W = 1.234 L^1.1565 (R² = 0.999) for all individual. The condition factor ranged between 0.84 and 2.62 (mean: 1.52±0.70) in females and between 0.83 and 2.67 (mean: 1.43±0.71) in males. The gonadosomatic index of specimens ranged between 5.50 and 10.66 (mean: 7.95±1.24). The gutted weight of specimens ranged between 2.10 and 11.44 g (mean: 4.91±1.77). Studies about environmental variables and characteristics are necessary in order to complement the understanding of reproduction, the length-weight relationships and condition of sea cucumber in Karachi coast.

Keywords

• Arabian Sea
• Sand cucumber
• Karachi coast
• Holothuria arenicola
• Population

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