Abstract
Portunid crab species were collected from different localities throughout their distribution range along the Sindh and Balochistan coast of Pakistan. Genetic and biochemical variations of Carbonic anhydrase were determined in five economically important crab species (Portunus pelagicus, P. sanguinolentus, Charybdis feriatus, Scylla serrata and S. olivacea) of family Portunidae: by the use of SDS and native PAGE, vertical slab gel electrophoresis. Crabs muscle samples were homogenized, centrifuged and run on a 10% vertical polyacrylamide gel in the discontinuous buffer system and stained for CA isozyme variability. The obtained band patterns revealed the biochemical and genetic variability of Carbonic anhydrase in five species of Portunids. They displayed polymorphic loci (50%), (25%), (16.67%) and (20%), in Portunus pelagicus, P. sanguinolentus, S. serrata and S. olivacea and the expected heterozygosity was 0.015, 0.016, 0.025, 0.022 in Portunus pelagicus, P. sanguinolentus, S.serrata and S.olivacea, respectively.
