Acute Toxicity of Chlorpyrifos on Histological Alterations in the Anomuran Crab, Emerita asiatica (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)

Acute toxicity of Chlorpyrifos on histological alterations in the different organs like gills, hepatopancreas and ovary of anomuran crab, Emerita asiatica was studied. Though Emerita asiatica is not a commercially viable crab, but it plays a vital role in the environment to maintain a stable marine ecosystem. Several steps and precautions measures should be taken to conserve these members of the marine food chain to have a stable ecosystem and also to protect this species from extinction. Thus, it can be concluded that the use of Chlorpyrifos which has been legally banned in India is justified. It has been proved by several workers and has been conformed in present investigation that use of this Chlorpyrifos causes serious damage to the vital organ of sand crabs gill, hepatopancreas and ovary. The application of Chlorpyrifos could be reduced in the agricultural field to nearby coastal regions.