Reproductive features of the deep water hermit crab Sympagurus dimorphus (Anomura, Parapaguridae) inhabiting pseudoshells in the SW Atlantic Ocean

LAURA SCHEJTER; MARCELO A. SCELZO; MANTELATTO F.L.

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2017

0022-2933

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 ? 2010, in the region comprised between 38º01´? 39º03´S and 55º ? 56º05´W, between 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.