Effects of bilateral eyestalk ablation on gonadal maturity, moulting, and biochemical changes in the hemolymph of female, Potamon, petsicum crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura, Potamidae)

Adult female crabs ( ; n=65) were collected from the jajrood river inthe east of tehran, iran. both eyestalks were removed in crabs that weighed 27.6 ± 2.1 g.changes in the levels of glucose and protein titers in the hemolymph, the number of hemocytes,gonadal and hepatic indices, body weight and carapace length were determined. the level ofglucose in the hemolymph was significantly decreased at the end of the first week followingeyestalk ablation and significantly increased by the end of the second and third weeks followingeyestalk removal compared to the control groups with intact eyestalk (p < 0.05). a significantincrease was observed in the total protein level of the hemolymph of destalked crabs at the endof the third week compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05). the fractions of total proteinshowed significant changes at the end of the third week compared to the control group (p <0.05). the mean total hemocytes count (thc) in the hemolymph was significantly increased inablated crabs at the end of the second and third weeks compared to the control group (p < 0.05).the gonadal and hepatic indices of the ablated crabs were significantly increased and decreased,respectively, at the end of the second week compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). the meanbody weight of the ablated crabs was increased significantly at the end of the second and fourthweeks compared to the control group (p < 0.05). no significant change was observed in themean carapace length of the ablated crabs at the end of the second week, but it had increasedsignificantly by the end of the fourth week compared to the control group (p < 0.05). the ablatedcrabs moulted four weeks after the removal of their eyestalks, but no precocious moulting wasobserved in the control group.