Reproductive features of the deep water hermit crab Sympagurus dimorphus (Anomura: Parapaguridae) inhabiting pseudoshells in the SW Atlantic Ocean |
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Authors: | L Schejter M A Scelzo F L Mantelatto |
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Affiliation: | 1. Laboratorio de Bentos, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, Mar del Plata, Argentina;2. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Mar del Plata, Argentinaschejter@inidep.edu.ar;4. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas, FCEyN, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata/CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina;5. Laboratory of Bioecology and Crustacean Systematics (LBSC), Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Science and Letters at Ribeir?o Preto (FFCLRP), University of S?o Paulo (USP), S?o Paulo, Brazil |
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Abstract: | We herein provide information on reproductive aspects (the gonopore morphology of both sexes, the size of embryonic eggs and the fecundity) of the hermit crab Sympagurus dimorphus from deep waters of Argentina. Sampling was performed in different oceanographic and fishery campaigns between 2007 and 2010, at 38°01′–39°03′S, 55°–56°05′W, 85–150 m depth, in the SW Atlantic Ocean. Mean shield length (SL) of females was 9.41 ± 1.68 mm (range: 6.6–10.5 mm). Female gonopores measured 0.74 ± 0.10 mm (range: 0.45–0.90 mm), were oval in shape, and were more rounded and larger than male gonopores (0.51 ± 0.007, range: 0.4–0.63 mm). The egg volume for each of the three stages of embryonic development was 0.94 ± 0.20 mm3 for stage I, 1.14 ± 0.31 mm3 for stage II, and 2.07 ± 0.41 mm3 for stage III. Egg volume doubled from the initial to the final stage of the embryonic development. The fecundity (number of eggs) varied from 831 (6.62 mm SL) to 2246 (10 mm SL) for females carrying eggs in stages I+II, and between 158 (158 mm SL) and 1279 (9.4 mm SL) in stage III. The reproductive characteristics of the observed profile are intimately related to S. dimorphus use of a pseudoshell resource and a deep water habitat. |
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Keywords: | Argentina female fecundity gonopore size embryo egg size reproduction |
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