MACROSCOPIC AND HISTOLOGICAL GONAD DESCRIPTION OF AEGLA PLATENSIS (SCHMITT, 1942) (DECAPODA, ANOMURA, AEGLIDAE)

SOKOLOWICZ,C.C.1*; LÓPEZ-GRECO, L.S.2 & BOND-BUCKUP, G.1

FLORIANOPOLIS, BRASIL

Congreso; 3rd Brazilian Crustacean Congress & 2004 TCS Summer Meeting; 2004

SOCIEDADE BRASILERA DE CARCINOLOGIA

  MACROSCOPIC AND HISTOLOGICAL GONAD DESCRIPTION OF AEGLA PLATENSIS (SCHMITT, 1942) (DECAPODA, ANOMURA, AEGLIDAE) SOKOLOWICZ,C.C.1*; LÓPEZ-GRECO, L.S.2 & BOND-BUCKUP, G.1 1PPG-Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. 2Departamento de Biodiversidade e Biologia Experimental, FCEyN, Universidade de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (carolinasokolowicz@hotmail.com) Studies about reproductive aspects of Aeglids are scarce, and the gonadal description of brazilian species are still not known. The aim of this study was to characterize the macroscopic and histological aspects of the mature gonads of Aegla platensis, related to their histology. Adult animals were collected in Taquara, RS, Brazil (29 46’S-50 53’W). The gonads were fixed in Boiun, embedded in paraffin, cutted and sections 7 µm thick were performed and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The ovaries of A. platensis showed an "H" shape, extending from behind the stomach and stretching up to the 1st or 2nd abdominal somite. The male presents a pair of testes from which the vas deferens (V.D.) leaves and extends over the pereon. For both males and females, macroscopic categories of gonad development were defined. The testes were devided into 4 stages, the 1st included the least developed testes, and the 4th included males showing extremely developed testes and completely differentiated V.D. The ovaries were classified according to their color: white, yellow, orange and red, starting from the least developed gonad. The number and size of the oogonias and oocytes in early and late vitellogenesis depends on the stage of the ovary and coincides with the different degrees of development defined by ovary colour. In males, the presence or absence of espermatozoa in the testes and V.D. was determined only for the 4th development stage. Up to now, neither spermathecae or spermatophores have been found in A. platensis.