Length and weight relationship of laboratory reared penaeid prawn Penaeus monodon (Fabricius) (Crustacea : Penaeidae)

Abstract

A parabolic relationship was obtained while studying the length-weight relationship of the postlarvae of Penaeus monodo. The b value (multiplying constant) showed that in the laboratory reared penaeid prawns, length-weight relationship strictly followed the cube law. The weight of the prawn increased at the rate of more or less cube of the length. The relationship was found to be significant (p < 0.001). At 95% confidence limit the b values were between 3.0524 and 4.3691. ANOYA showed that there is a significant difference between the length and weight relationship (p < 0.001). The two-way analysis of the variance also showed a very high correlation between relative increment in length and weight with temperature (p < 0.05). The influence of temperature on weight was more as compared to the length and a decrease in relative weight was observed at low temperature (P < 0.05).