ఫిషరీస్ & పశువుల ఉత్పత్తి

నైరూప్య

Morphometric Study of Blood Clam, Tegillarca rhombea (Born, 1778)

Meshram AM and Mohite SA*

Morphometric study of blood clam, Tegillarca (Anadara) rhombea was undertaken for the period of twelve months from February 2014 to March 2015 (except June-July) at the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra, India. Relationships between shell length (L), shell height (Ht.), shell width (Wd), hinge length (Hg), total weight (Wt.), wet weight (WWt) and dry weight (dWt) were studied in total 1200 blood clams. Linear regressions calculated were Ht=6.068+0.7106 L, Wd=2.938+0.9041 L, Hg=-0.7707+0.6649 L, Log Wt=Log (-2.795)+2.67 Log L, Log Wwt=Log(-1.0834)+1.2395 Log L, Log Dw=Log (-2.16)+1.30 Log L respectively. From the present study, it can be concluded that more or less similar growth pattern was observed in different months though a faster growth rate was observed during postmonsoon due to the recruitment of small sized clams in January, which grew at a faster rate initially and the growth rate decreased afterward as the energy was utilized for gonadal developments and other body functions.