Reproductive performance of female orange mud crab, Scylla olivacea, based on body size and mating strategies

In natural or induced breeding, broodstock size is a critical morphological characteristic for producing aquaculture seeds. As such, the present study determined the effects of female broodstock size on the reproductive performance (spawning, egg fertilisation, hatching success, and interval from eyestalk ablation to spawning and spawning to hatching) of orange mud crabs, Scylla olivacea, in captivity. This study employed female induced-to-mate (IM) and wild-mated (WM) mud crabs with carapace width (CW) < 100 mm and CW ≥ 100 mm to obtain larvae. Post-cautery, unilateral eyestalk ablation (UEA) was conducted to induce spawning of the mated females. The latency period following UEA incorporation was short (9–13 days) in IM females (CW ≥ 100 mm). Meanwhile, the WM females (CW ≥ 100 mm) recorded varying latency period ranges (8–52 days). Only the larger crabs (CW ≥ 100 mm) documented successful hatching (IM: 90.88 ± 0.98 % and WM: 92.16 ± 0.70 %) and superior spawning success (IM: 86.67 ± 11.55 % and WM: 73.33 ± 23.09 %). Nevertheless, the egg incubation period was similar (7–9 days) in the IM and WM samples. Consequently, IM and WM large females of CW ≥ 100 mm are suitable for the larvae production of S. olivacea in captivity.