Descriptive analysis and molecular identification of the green tiger shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus (De Haan, 1844) in Suez Gulf, Red Sea

Abstract

Extensive sampling was conducted to investigate both population dynamics and morphometric characteristics of Penaeus semisulcatus from Suez Gulf, Red Sea. Growth parameters, mortalities, exploitation rate and yield per recruit were estimated for males and females separately. The equilibrium constants of carapace length-weight relationships revealed an isometric growth for both sexes. Furthermore, the exploitation rate of females was higher than that estimated for males, indicating sex- and size-related over-fishing. In the present study, two genetic markers were used to molecularly identify P. semisulcatus from Suez Gulf; mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit 1 (COI), and nuclear gene 18S rRNA. Our results showed that Egyptian P. semisulcatus appeared to cluster with the Arabian Gulf’s species, while the genetic distance between them was short. This present study can be considered as the first investigation covering both morphometric and molecular tools together in the Gulf of Suez, Red Sea or even in the other Egyptian coasts.