Dataset of microplastics in the mangrove brachyuran crabs at Setiu Wetlands, Peninsular Malaysia
Nur Hannah Abd Rahim,
Behara Satyanarayana,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim,
Christelle Not,
Izwandy Idris,
Jarina Mohd Jani,
Stefano Cannicci,
Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
Affiliations
Nur Hannah Abd Rahim
Mangrove Research Unit (MARU), Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia; Corresponding authors.
Behara Satyanarayana
Mangrove Research Unit (MARU), Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia; Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit (SERM), Université Libre de Bruxelles-ULB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; Mangrove Specialist Group (MSG), Species Survival Commission (SSC), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), c/o Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom; Corresponding authors.
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Mangrove Research Unit (MARU), Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia; Microplastic Research Interest Group (MRIG), Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia
Christelle Not
Environmental Geochemistry & Oceanography Research Group, Department of Earth Sciences,The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
Izwandy Idris
Mangrove Research Unit (MARU), Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia; South China Sea Repository and Reference Centre, Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia
Jarina Mohd Jani
Mangrove Research Unit (MARU), Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia; Biodiversity Conservation and Management Program, Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21300, Malaysia
Stefano Cannicci
Environmental Geochemistry & Oceanography Research Group, Department of Earth Sciences,The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR; Swire Institute for Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR; Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Florence, Italy
Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit (SERM), Université Libre de Bruxelles-ULB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; Mangrove Specialist Group (MSG), Species Survival Commission (SSC), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), c/o Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom; Ecology & Biodiversity Research Unit, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel-VUB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
The present dataset provides information on the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in relation to different feeding habits of the four mangrove brachyuran crab species namely, Parasesarma eumolpe, Austruca annulipes, Metaplax elegans and Scylla olivacea at Setiu Wetlands in Peninsular Malaysia. Three sites namely, Pulau Layat (upstream, close to the core mangrove zone), Kampung Pengkalan Gelap (midstream, close to the settlements), and Pulau Sutung (downstream, close to the shifted river mouth) were chosen for the sample collection (through hand catch method and traps) in both the dry (Feb-Mar 2021) and the wet (Dec 2021 - Jan 2022) seasons. The cardiac stomach of each crab was dissected, digested in potassium hydroxide and then filtered through a 1.6 µm pore size glass fibre filter using the vacuum pump. The abundance, type and colour of MPs per crab individual were determined under a stereomicroscope (Carl Zeiss Stemi 508, China) attached to the digital camera (Axiocam 208 colour). The general abundance of MPs was found in the order of carnivorous S. olivacea > microphytobenthos feeder A. annulipes > herbivorous P. eumolpe > detritivorous M. elegans. The data also reveal morphometric measurements such as body weight, gut weight, carapace width and carapace length of the crab specimens. The information given in this article is useful for study replications and scientific comparisons, especially with brachyuran crabs and other organisms with similar feeding guilds, in the mangroves of Malaysia and elsewhere.
