Possible predation on commercial bivalves by Tachypleus gigas: an assessment of horseshoe crab reintroduction in Setiu Lagoon of Terengganu, Malaysia

The population of horseshoe crabs, Tachypleus gigas , in Malaysian waters is declining due to overexploitation, pollution, and loss of natural habitats. As an initiative to increase their population, adult T. gigas were reintroduced in Setiu lagoon, Terengganu. In the interest of sustainable managem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2021-02, Vol.848 (4), p.841-855
Main Authors: Halim, Anis Syahira Abdul, Mohamad, Faridah, Ahmad, Fisal, Ismail, Noraznawati, Chilek, Tuan Zainazor Tuan, Ahmad, Ahmad Shamsuddin, Cob, Zaidi Che, Yusof, Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bivalvia
Captivity
Cornea
Crustaceans
Ecology
Economic importance
Feeding experiments
Feeding preferences
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Habitat loss
Interspecific relationships
Invertebrates
Juveniles
Lagoons
Life Sciences
Marine crustaceans
Mollusks
Overexploitation
Pollution
Predation
Preferences
Prey
Primary Research Paper
Reintroduction
Resource management
Sustainability management
Tachypleus gigas
Zoology
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Summary:The population of horseshoe crabs, Tachypleus gigas , in Malaysian waters is declining due to overexploitation, pollution, and loss of natural habitats. As an initiative to increase their population, adult T. gigas were reintroduced in Setiu lagoon, Terengganu. In the interest of sustainable management of bivalve resources in that area, feeding experiments were carried out to determine quantity consumption and feeding preferences of adult T. gigas in captivity on four species of economically important bivalves from Setiu namely Scapharca cornea , Meretrix meretrix , Geloina expansa and Magallana bilineata . Tachypleus gigas consumed less than a single intact bivalve per day and the amount increased to almost twice when fed with bivalve flesh. Females T. gigas showed a preference for intact M. meretrix , whereas males showed preference for M. bilineata and M. meretrix when fed with flesh only. Our findings suggest that T. gigas may not prey upon live adult bivalves in Setiu as they only scavenge on dead or weak bivalves. However, the impact of horseshoe crab reintroduction on other small invertebrates in Setiu including the juveniles of these bivalves needs to be explored in order to ensure the success of this conservation effort.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-020-04493-7