Diversity of Decapods in Penor River Estuaries in Kuantan, Pahang

Abstract

Decapods play an important role as in maintaining ecosystem to be in balance as well as one of protein sources to human. At juvenile stage, they inhabit estuaries to get nutrition and protection from predators. Aquatic diversity supports in playing roles to maintain ecological structure and food chain in the system. However, the study of diversity of decapods is still lacking in Pahang waters. Therefore, this study was carried out in order to study and identify the decapods found in one of the most active estuaries in Pahang. The sampling and samples identification was conducted to identify diversity and abundance of decapods in Penor River-estuary. Specimens were collected from three different sites from using traditional fish trap locally called ‘temerang’. The samples were collected and identified into genus level based on their external morphological characteristics. The data recorded were analysed using Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s Diversity Indices. The highest diversity of decapods found at Penor River-estuary was Site 3 and Site 2, while the lowest diversity of decapods recorded at this river is Site 1. The most abundance decapods in Penor River-estuary were Brachycarpus, providing insight that this species availability in all three sites.