Community structure, spatial distribution, and species–station association of Asian horseshoe crabs from North Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo

Mohammad Fadnan Akhmadi; Sutrisno Anggoro; Agus Sabdono; Aninditia  Sabdaningsih; Retno Hartati; Encik Weliyadi

doi:10.22034/ijab.v14i4.2927

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Mohammad Fadnan Akhmadi
adnan_ub@borneo.ac.id
Aquatic Resources Management Doctoral Study Program, Department of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Diponegoro, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Central Java Province, Indonesia.
Sutrisno Anggoro Aquatic Resources Management Doctoral Study Program, Department of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Diponegoro, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Central Java Province, Indonesia.
Agus Sabdono Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Diponegoro, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Central Java Province, Indonesia.
Aninditia Sabdaningsih Aquatic Resources Management Doctoral Study Program, Department of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Diponegoro, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Central Java Province, Indonesia.
Retno Hartati Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Diponegoro, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Central Java Province, Indonesia.
Encik Weliyadi Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, University of Borneo Tarakan, Indonesia.

Vol. 14 No. 4 (2026): In Press

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July 13, 2026

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Asian horseshoe crabs are ecologically important coastal arthropods, but local community-level information from North Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, remains limited. This study assessed species composition, relative abundance, diversity, dominance, evenness, species-station association, occupancy, and inter-station similarity of Asian horseshoe crabs recorded from four coastal stations in North Kalimantan. A total of 205 individuals were documented through fisher-assisted bycatch records from traditional kelong trap-net fisheries and identified as Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, Tachypleus gigas, and T. tridentatus. Community structure was analyzed using relative abundance, Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson dominance, Pielou evenness, chi-square species-station association, adjusted standardized residuals, occupancy, and Bray-Curtis similarity. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda was the most abundant species, followed by T. gigas and T. tridentatus. Clear spatial differentiation was observed among stations. Bening Island was strongly dominated by T. gigas, whereas Karis Island and Mangkudulis Island were dominated by C. rotundicauda. Tanalia Island showed the most balanced community and the strongest positive association with T. tridentatus. Bray-Curtis similarity identified Karis Island and Mangkudulis Island as the most similar stations, while Bening Island was the most distinct. These findings provide baseline ecological information on protected horseshoe crab species in North Kalimantan and highlight the importance of habitat-based monitoring that accounts for station-specific community signatures, as well as the limitations of bycatch-derived data.

Akhmadi, M. F., Anggoro, S., Sabdono, A., Sabdaningsih, A., Hartati, R., & Weliyadi, E. (2026). Community structure, spatial distribution, and species–station association of Asian horseshoe crabs from North Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. International Journal of Aquatic Biology, 14(4), 124–135. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijab.v14i4.2927

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