MATERIALS AND METHODS
Broodstock Crabs:P. pelagicus berried females used in the present study were caught from the wild using gill net around Johor coastal water (Johor, Malaysia) and were transported to the Marine Hatchery, Institute of Tropical Aquaculture, University Malaysia Terengganu. The berried females were kept in a circular fibreglass holding tank with stocking density of one crab per ton of water.Chopped fish meat was given once daily as food. When berried female has matured with black eggs, the crab was transfers to the hatching tanks (500 L) with stocking density of one crab per tank. After hatching, the aeration in the hatching tank was turn-off for 10 to 15 min to allow the vigorously swimming larvae to aggregate at surface,where they were collected.