Population biology and color patterns of the blue land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi (Latreille 1828) (Crustacea: Gecarcinidae) in the Northeastern Brazil.

The objective of this study was to analyze the population biology and color patterns of Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille, 1828 in a mangrove area in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Crabs were collected monthly between February 2010 and January 2012 and totaled 1,837 individuals. Sex ratios were similar between males and females in the first year and differed in the second. Sex ratios by size class differed statistically in the extremes of the distribution, with an abundance of males in the large size classes. There was no difference (p > 0.05) in carapace width between males and females in the first year, but in the second year, males were larger than females (p = 0.003), showing the importance of considering interannual variation in such studies. Both sexes presented a unimodal distribution. The size of first maturing of the females was 6.00 cm. Asymptotic carapace width for males was 9.4 cm and females for 9.2 cm, using the Wetherall method. There was no defined modal progression, which made the determination of the Von Bertalanffy growth parameter K impossible. Juveniles were found throughout all months of the year, demonstrating that there was no defined period of recruiting, although slightly fewer juveniles were found in the dry season. Four color patterns were observed, the three first patterns were the same for both sexes, while the fourth pattern was observed in females only. The four color patterns identified could be clearly related to the stage of development (size) and sexual maturity of the animal.