Translationally controlled tumour proteins (TCTP) cDNA were cloned from the haemolymph of Scylla paramamosain by reverse transcription PCR using primers derived from Penaeus monodon. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed 507 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 168 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass and pI of approximately 19.2 kDa and 4.5, respectively. Interestingly, mud crab...

Intracellular fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are multifunctional cytosolic lipid-binding proteins found in vertebrates and invertebrates. In this work, we used RACE to obtain a full-length cDNA of Sp-FABP from the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The open reading frame of the full length cDNA (886 bp) encoded a 136 amino acid polypeptide that showed high homology with related genes from other...

Megalopae of several crab species exhibit active habitat selection when settling. These megalopae usually select structurally complex habitats which can provide refuge and food. The portunid mud crab, Scylla serrata, is commonly found within the muddy estuaries of the Indo-West Pacific after attaining a carapace width > 40 mm. Despite substantial efforts, the recruitment mechanism of juvenile m...

Infectious diseases have seriously inhibited the aquaculture of mud crab Scylla paramamosain in southeastern China. Identification of the immune molecules and characterization of the defense mechanisms will be pivotal to the reduction of these diseases. Available data show that leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins play a crucial role in protein-protein interactions, recognition processes or immun...

Introduction of non-indigenous species into a well-established ecosystem can be detrimental, resulting in both ecological and economical damage. Two specimens of giant mud crab, Scylla serrata were found for the first time in two geographically distinct mud crab landing sites (Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, Perak and Kota Marudu Mangrove Forest, Sabah) in Malaysia. Their identities were confir...

Predation can significantly affect prey populations and communities, but predator effects can be attenuated when abiotic conditions interfere with foraging activities. In estuarine communities, turbidity can affect species richness and abundance and is changing in many areas because of coastal development. Many fish species are less efficient foragers in turbid waters, and previous research rev...

Survival of larvae of mud crab, Scylla serrata (Forsskal, 1775) is a persistent issue in the field of induced breeding of the species. A preliminary study was conducted on feeding regimes of laboratory reared larvae and juveniles of S. serrata. The results showed that the survival of the larvae fed with green water alone or green water with plankton and feed was not significantly different from...

Clip domain serine proteinase homologs are involved in many biological processes including immune response. To identify the immune function of a serine proteinase homolog (Sp-SPH), originally isolated from hemocytes of the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain, the Sp-SPH was expressed recombinantly and purified for further studies. It was found that the Sp-SPH protein could bind to a number of bacteri...

The effects of experience on prey and prey-patch choice were compared between two species of marine predatory crabs. The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, is highly mobile and forages in a variety of estuarine and lagoonal habitats. The Atlantic mud crab, Panopeus herbstii H. Milne-Edwards, is smaller and less mobile and is found mostly in oyster reefs and on shelly bottoms. In the labora...

Comparative developmental and reproductive studies were performed on several species of estuarine crustaceans in response to three juvenile hormone agonists (pyriproxyfen, methoprene and fenoxycarb). Larval development of the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was greater than two orders of magnitude more sensitive to disruption by methoprene and fenoxycarb than was embryonic development. Develo...