Determinação do indicador de estabilização da forma da concha (IEF) de Anomalocardia brasiliana em Icapuí (Ceará, Brasil)

Abstract

Many species of bivalves found in intertidal areas are edible and have been largely collected in several regions of Brazil. These species inhabit areas of easy access to people, in the regions of tide range by the seaside or in rock shorelines. In the Brazilian coast, various species of bivalve mollusks of estuary regions are extracted in rudimentary manner by the traditional communities, without methods of handling that would guarantee a sustainable usage of the resources. Among these species, there are those associated to the aerial structure of mangrove vegetation (such as Crassostrea mangle, the mangrove oyster) and species that inhabit the sediments of plains of tide adjacent to mangroves, such as Anomalocardia brasilana. Aiming the maintenance of the capture of the mollusk A. brasiliana in Requenguela locality, in Icapuí county, the present study had as goal to determine the stabilization of the shell shape indicator (IEF) with the purpose of identifying the average length of the first maturation of this resource. Eight visits were made to Requenguela to measure length, height, width of the specimens. Concluding the process, the data acquired were analyzed and the measures of length, height and average width, such as the necessary reasons to determine the IEF, were calculated with the assistance of an electronic worksheet. 2,537 specimens of A. brasiliana were analyzed. The results of this work demonstrate that the average length, height and width of the specimens are 17,01 ± 3,14 mm, 14,28 ± 2,80 mm e 10,13 ± 2,15 mm, respectively. Most of the specimens analyzed are distributed in classes of length superior to 12 mm. It was considered for this population that the stabilization of the shell shape (IEF) is 11,57 mm average length.