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Vol. 49 No. 3, 2010
Spermatophore and Gonopore Morphology of the
Southwestern-Atlantic Hermit Crab Pagurus exilis (Benedict, 1892)
(Anomura, Paguridae)
Marcelo
A. Scelzo1, Marina Z. Fantucci2, and Fernando L. Mantelatto2,*
1Departamento
de Ciencias Marinas, FCEyN, Universidad Nacional de Mar del
Plata/CONICET. Funes 3350, (AYL7600B), Mar del Plata,
Argentina. E-mail:mascelzo@gmail.com
2Laboratory of Bioecology and Crustacean Systematics,
Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of
Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes,
3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP CEP 14040-901, Brazil E-mail marinazf@gmail.com
Marcelo
A. Scelzo, Marina Z. Fantucci, and Fernando L. Mantelatto 2010)
The form and function of the spermatophore have been used as a
complementary tool in studies of the reproductive biology and
systematics of hermit crabs. In this context, we describe the
spermatophore and gonopore morphology of Pagurus exilis. The
spermatophores were extracted from the distal part of the vas deferens
of specimens collected in Argentina and Brazil. The
spermatophores were composed of 3 major regions: a main ampulla (with a
sperm capsule inside and an accessory ampulla at the base), a stalk,
and a pedestal. Each spermatophore had a distinct dorsolateral
suture line around the ampulla, where the rupture occurs to release the
sperm. The spermatophore total length was 1.5 times the main
ampulla length. The main ampulla was oval and slightly
flattened. A triangular accessory ampulla extended from the main
ampulla base to the pedestal on 1 side, and contained no to several
sperm. The stalk is short and flattened, and as wide as the main
ampulla. One to 3 spermatophores were found attached to each
pedestal, which was almost oblong in shape. The dimensions of the
spermatophore and its component parts were directly influenced by the
size of the hermit crab. Gonopores of males were covered by long
pappose setae, while female gonopores bore a few short cuspidate
setae. Specimens from Brazil and Argentina had the same
spermatophore morphology, corroborating the previously observed absence
of genetic differences between the both populations. The
spermatophore morphology of this species has similarities with the
broad general pattern of the Paguridae, being most similar to one of
the (at least) 3 patterns of spermatophore morphology described for
Pagurus.
Key words: Decapoda, Reproductive morphology,
Testes.
*Correspondence: E-mail:flmantel@usp.br
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