Fernando L. M. Mantelatto, Vera F. Alarcon, Renata B. Garcia, Eggs Development Measures of one’s Tropical Hermit Crab Paguristes Tortugae of Brazil, Diary away from Crustacean Biology, Frequency 22, Topic 2, 1975-99990246
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to characterize the total and seasonal fecundity of the hermit crab Paguristes tortugae as well as the influence of shell type on fecundity using the morphometric relationship. Ovigerous females were collected monthly from January to December, 1998, in the infralittoral region of Anchieta Island. Samplings were performed using SCUBA. The hermit crabs and the gastropod shells were measured. Hermit wet weight and shell dry weight were recorded. For the fecundity analysis, only ovigerous females with the eggs in the early phase of development were selected. The number of eggs carried by individuals of several sizes (shield length), condition of development, and egg size were determined. A high percentage (%) of ovigerous females with eggs in the early phase of development were captured, with a low frequency (4.29%) of females with eggs in the final stage of development. Size-frequency distribution during the months showed two peaks in the ovigerous female population (2.5 to 3.4 mm and 4.0 to 5.4 mm of SL). |$ <\rm>\pm <\rm>$| fecundity was |$132 \pm 102$| eggs and tended to increase with increasing SL. No significant difference in fecundity occurred among the various seasons of the year. The results showed continuous and elevated reproduction of P. tortugae, with a high reproductive potential for the population. The pattern of the frequency distribution of ovigerous females tending to bimodality may be characteristic of a population with a two-year life cycle. Considering the four shells most occupied by P. tortugae (Pisania auritula, Cerithium atratum, Morula nodulosa, and Leucozonia nassa), the highest fecundity was observed for ovigerous females occupying larger shells (P. auritula and L. nassa). The reproductive aspects of P. tortugae were related to strategies developed to compensate for interspecific competition, i.e., high and continuous reproductive effort, early maturity, low fecundity, and larger eggs produced.
Knowledge on the reproductive actions out-of Anomura were eliciting growing need for look at the truth that hermit crabs show an interesting classification regarding a physiological and you will evolutionary advice ( Mantelatto and you may Garcia, 1999). This group constitutes more 800 types of the fresh new hermit crabs of the globe and contains been through significant change ( Ingle, 1993).
Hermit crabs portray an essential portion of the of numerous intertidal and you may modestly deep benthic organizations, where it play an important role throughout the aquatic system ( Fransozo and Mantelatto, 1998). Still, pair research has started held for the lifetime background or reproductive ecology away from hermit crabs weighed against almost every other decapods.
Fecundity is an important factor in crustaceans, yet others, getting determining the fresh reproductive possible away from a types and you can/or of stock sized a people ( Mantelatto and you may Fransozo, 1997), possibly discussing the new reproductive adjustment in order to environmental criteria ( Sastry, 1983). Hermit crabs particularly, while they live in gastropod shells, pay for an opportunity to investigation the latest communication ranging from money and you may reproductive strategy. Considering Wilber (1989), a good female’s shell make a difference the girl reproduction by deciding whether or maybe not she will get ovigerous and you can/or restricting what number of eggs introduced. Which blogger thought numerous areas of the latest cover-size/breeding dating, especially about the differences in eggs production about the kinds, dimensions, volume, and you will pounds of layer filled.
Eggs Production Steps of Tropical Hermit Crab Paguristes Tortugae out-of Brazil
Likewise, three sets of hermit https://datingranking.net/nl/dil-mil-overzicht/ crab in particular (i.e., the new genera Pagurus and you can Paguristes, additionally the “Pylopagurus-like” species), was in fact a difficult category to analyze just like the of numerous variety are recognized regarding one otherwise several localities, and lots of still-undescribed varieties are recognized to occur in the location, resulting in considerable identification trouble one of specialists and you can nonspecialists exactly the same ( Hendrickx and you can Harvey, 1999). Paguristes tortugae Schmitt, 1933, is actually a comparatively preferred kinds marketed throughout the Western Atlantic off Florida so you can Brazil (since much south given that Santa Catarina Condition) ( Rieger and you can Giraldi, 1997; Melo, 1999). In spite of the pair documentation available on the entire biology out-of pagurids, P. tortugae could have been seemingly well studied (get a hold of Mantelatto and you can Sousa, inside the push, getting opinion).