DISCUSSION
Ovarian maturity stages
Crab ovaries are bilobed structures with two
antero-lateral lobes which fuse posteriorly with
paired reproductive oviducts connecting the ovary
to a pair of external genital openings on the crab’s
sixth thoracic sternite (Wild, 1983). The ovaries
undergo colour changes as they mature (Spencer,
1932 [in Wild, 1983]) and also increase in mass,
as has been observed in Cancer magister. Ovarian
size and colour are related to histological changes
in Callinectes sapidus and Geryon quinquedens
(Wild, 1983). Prasad & Neelakantan (1989)
identified four developmental stages of the ovary
in Scylla serrata which were recognised using
colour changes in the ovary and the oocyte
diameter. Pillay & Ono (1978) grouped the
developing ovaries of grapsid crabs into four
classes based on colour and size of the ovaries
observed with the naked eye. In this study, increase
in mass and colour changes in the T. crenata
ovaries similar to that observed by Pillay & Ono
(1978) were observed.
Sethuramalingam et al. (1982) identified three
stages of ovarian development in Portunus sinipes
(Miers) and in Thalamita chaptali (Aud-et-Savign)
in Porto-Novo. At Gazi, maturity stages of T.
crenata ovaries were based on colour changes
which ranged from creamy white to yellow to