Domestication and Feed Conversion Ratio of Cardisoma Armatum, the Nigerian Land Crab (PDF)

Scientific Study from the year 2021 in the subject Biology - Zoology, grade: A, Lagos State University (Nigeria), course: Fisheries and Aquatic biology, language: English, abstract: The objective of this study is to evaluate the domestication and the growth performance of the land crab (Cardisoma Armatum) cultured in a rectangular concrete unit.

Crabs are part of the basic components of the ecosystem and they are consumed as food in many countries. Over 100 species of crabs are known worldwide with nine species common in West African countries especially Nigeria.
Crabs are decapods crustaceans which have a very short tail and are covered with a thick shell, or exoskeleton and are armed with a single pair of claws. There are over 6,793 species of crab spread across the oceans, fresh water, and even on land. Among the species are the land crab, the big fisted swim crab (callinectes amnicola), and (callinectes latmanus). These 3 species are edible ones.Crabs mostly occur at the mouth of estuaries and along the course of many main rivers. Crabs which are the basic components of the ecosystem are the most advanced members of the phylum Arthropoda.

The freshwater crabs of Nigeria are true crabs which can be distinguished from false crabs by not having 5 pairs of the pereiopods totally or partly concealed beneath the carapace, the antennae were always placed between the inner margin of orbit and fused Pterygostomial region with endotome. True crabs belong to the Suborder Brachyura of order Decapoda under Class Crustacea. It shows the greatest size range of all arthropods such as observed in lobsters, prawns, crayfishes, shrimps, hermit crab and true crabs.