Population Dynamics of the Indonesian Mantis Shrimp, Harpiosquilla raphidea (Fabricius 1798) (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) Collected from a Mud Flat in Kuala Tungkal, Jambi Province, Sumatera Island

This study aim was to reveal the population structure, growth, life span and exploitation rate of mantis shrimp (Harpiosquilla raphidea Fabricius, 1798). This research was conducted in Kuala Tungkal, Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi from July 2009 to June 2010 and partially carried out periodically. The results showed the difference in group size distribution between the mantis shrimp caught in the intertidal and those caught in subtidal areas. The length of the mantis shrimps in the intertidal area ranged from 25 to 233 mm with the dominant length was 79- 96 mm, while in the subtidal area the length ranged from 160-366 with dominant length between 193-258 mm. Growth coefficient (K) was 0.14 for males and 0.11 for females; while L∞ was the same for the two sexes, i.e. 381.68 mm. The life-span of the shrimp was estimated to be 6.7 to 8.5 years. The value of exploitation rate (E) was 0.42 indicating a not optimum exploitation rate of the shrimp.