BIOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE RED SHRIMP, ARISTAEOMORPHA-FOLIACEA RISSO 1827, IN THE STRAIT OF SICILY (MEDITERRANEAN SEA)

The biometric relationships between different body measures (in length ) and body weight of the giant red shrimp, Aristaeomorpha foliacea, fr om the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea) were analysed. A m aximum likelihood index of goodness of fitting (Furnival's index) was used to compare the performance of tie models. Fresh and thawed measur es were also compared, the latter being significantly different from t he former. Total and ocular length and length weight relationships res ulted significantly negative allometric (b <1 or b <3, respectively) i n both sexes. Length relationships in males showed discontinuities as a consequence of their rostrum shortening process. The estimated coeff icients in the morphometric relationship for females were used to comp are standard (based on carapace length) and other (based on different body measures) length frequency distributions derived from older liter ature, The length-weight relationship for A. foliacea females of the S trait of Sicily appeared very similar to those derived for other consp ecific populations, but quite different (higher weight for the same le ngth) in respect to the similar species Aristeus antennatus.