Size structure and relative growth pattern of strawberry conch (Strombus luhuanus) in Oma rocky shore, Central Maluku, Eastern Indonesia

Abstract

Various substrates could be found in intertidal zone in Oma rocky shore and consisting of boulder, pebble, dead coral, coral rubble, and coarse sand. In addition, there were six species of seagrasses found in this area namely Enhalus acoroides, Cymodocea rotundata, Halophila minor, Halodule uninervis, Thalassia hemprichii, and Syringodium isoetifolium. Strombus luhuanus could be found in various habitats such as in Oma rocky shore. High intensity of utilization by local community resulted in decreasing number of this species recently. Therefore, the objectives of the research were to study size structure and growth pattern of S. luhuanus. Sampling was conducted by using purposive random sampling from January to June 2018. The results showed that the shell length ranged from 30.27-56.00 mm with the average 42.63 mm. The population of S. luhuanus was divided into juveniles and adults which the adults were pre dominant. Overall, the growth pattern of S. luhuanus was negative allometric both female and male. However, the females indicated both positive and negative allometric.