Longevity and Growth of the Crabs <scp> <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> </scp> and <scp> <i>Callinectes rathbunae</i> </scp> (Decapoda: Portunidae) in Paraíso Tabasco Mexico

ABSTRACT Individual growth models are important in fisheries of natural populations and can be incorporated in production models to estimate their maximum sustainable yield. Blue crab species, Callinectes sapidus and Callinectes rathbunae were obtained in the Mecoacán lagoon, Paraíso, Tabasco Mexico by “nasa” and “yahual” nets. Biometric values such as carapace length and width were measured, as well as the weight of the eviscerated organisms. Growth expressions (von Bertalanffy's parameters K and L ∞ ) for each species and sex were obtained by using ICLARM ‘S FiSAT program, with which yearly weight for each sex of the two species were calculated, as well as phi and longevity values. It was observed that C. sapidus males grow faster than females, both in size and weight, while C. rathbunae females grow slightly faster than males, with the latter gaining more weight than females. C. sapidus presents an hipoallometric relative growth while C. rathbunae presents a relative growth tending to isometry. The phi indices show that there is a difference in the growth between species and sexes.