LENGTH AND WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP OF LABORATORY-REARED PENAEID PRAWN PENAEUS-MONODON (FABRICIUS) (CRUSTACEA, PENAEIDAE)

A parabolic relationship was obtained while studying the length-weight relationship of the postlarvae of Penaeus monodo. The b value (multip lying constant) showed that in the laboratory reared penaeid prawns, l ength-weight relationship strictly followed the cube law. The weight o f the prawn increased at the rate of more or less cube of the length. The relationship was found to be significant (p < 0.001). At 95% confi dence limit the b values were between 3.0524 and 4.3691. ANOYA showed that there is a significant difference between the length and weight r elationship (p < 0.001). The two-way analysis of the variance also sho wed a very high correlation between relative increment in length and w eight with temperature (p < 0.05). The influence of temperature on wei ght was more as compared to the length and a decrease in relative weig ht was observed at low temperature (P < 0.05).