A Morphometeric study of sea urchin Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville, 1825) on beaches of Lengeh Port, Persian Gulf

Some of valuable species of Persian Gulf, such as sea urchins, are accounted less scientific studies due to the lack of any position in the local food baskets. Therefore, this survey is investigated the biometrical parameters of sea urchin Echinometra mathaei for a period of seven months (March– September, 2014) in the intertidal zone of Lengeh Port (26˚32ʹ28 ̋N, 54˚52ʹ29 E). Random samples were collected monthly during spring tides and transferred alive to the laboratory and then the dissection and the separation of different parts of the body were started. Each part of the body length and weight was measured. By a mathematical method the volume of samples was calculated as an elliptical object. This study illustrated the largest and smallest sample were 0.07 and 103.77 grams, respectively. Results showed that the relationships between Total wet weight and Test Diameter (Total Wet Weight = 0.0053 Test Diameter2.3933), Total Wet Weight and Height (Total Wet Weight = 0.0122 Height2.5872) and Total Wet Weight and Volume (Total Wet Weight= 0.0071 Volume0.8706). The correlation coefficient between volume and total wet weight of samples was r=0.94 which shows the accuracy of Disk method. On the other hand, the HDR index was more in compared with the HWR index and it illustrates larger values of Test Diameter in compare with Height. Statical analyses prove that higher values of DWR in compared with HWR are reasonable and accurate in both sexes.