Evaluation of claw development in giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879)

Dynamics of claw development in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879) was evaluated through monosex culture. The segregated males and females were stocked separately in two earthen ponds of 200 m(2) area, at a density of 2.5 m(-2) and reared for 3 months. Percentage contribution of claw weight to body weight (PCB) increased from 8.96 to 14.4% in the first month, but the change was minimal (14.4 to 17.19%) during the rest of the culture period. In order to delineate the relationship further, the data obtained was pooled together and classified into different classes based on the body weight (class interval 10 g). Interestingly, PCB in males decreased gradually upto 30 - 40 g weight class and then increased considerably for higher weight classes. But for females, the increase in PCB was marginal.