MORPHOLOGY OF SPERMATHECAE IN THE ESTUARINE CRAB CHASMAGNATHUS GRANULATA DANA 1851 (GRAPSIDAE, SESARMINAE)

LÓPEZ GRECO, L.S., LOPEZ, G.C, Y E. RODRIGUEZ

JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

Lugar: LONDON; Año: 1999 vol. 249 p. 490 - 493

0022-5460

The morphology of the seprmathecae (seminal receptacles) was studied in the grapsid crab Chasmagnathus granulata, both from the macroscopic and the microscopic points of view. Female adult crabs were collected throughout the year. Once in the laboratory, the right spermatheca was fixed in Bouin solution; histological sections were stained with haematoxilin-eosin. The observations indicated that the spermathecae belonged to the ventral type described by Diesel (1991), related to the hard female mating system of C. granulata described previously. They presented two distinct zones: the inner one (white-coloured), where the double layer oviduct opened ventrally; and the outer one, of translucent, “jelly like” appearance, where the communication with the genital duct could be observed. The spermatozoa were only observed in the “jelly like” zone, but not as discrete packets, suggesting that spermatozoa from different mating could mix in the spermathecae of C. granulata. The spermathecae also showed seasonal variation, with the lowest degree of development observed during autumn. Post-moulted females always showed collapsed spermathecae.