title: Male reproductive apparatus and spermatophore morphology of the hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and P. criniticornis (Anomura, Paguridae).
abstract: Spermatozoa of most crustacean species are nonmotile and are packed into spermatophores. In Decapoda, spermatophores are highly variable in morphology and can be useful in the solving of taxonomic and systematic questions, especially among the Anomura. In this study, the morphology and morphometry of the spermatophores of the western Atlantic hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and P. criniticornis are described. The abdomen of fresh male specimens was dissected to expose the reproductive system and to extract the spermatophores, which were analyzed by stereoscopic, light, and scanning electron microscopy. The vas deferens can be divided macroscopically in three regions, all of them containing spermatophores. Tripartite spermatophores are composed of an elongated cylindrical main ampulla, a triangular accessory ampulla, a narrow cylindrical peduncle, and a round pedestal. Dimensions of the spermatophore components are positively correlated to the size of the crab. Morphological patterns observed in this study resemble those of other pagurid hermit crabs investigated to date. The morphological character distribution confirms classifications based on adult morphology and molecular analysis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Bioecology and Crustacean Systematics, Postgraduate Program in Comparative Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), University of São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina Zilio
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Fantucci
authors.forename: Fernando Luis
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Mantelatto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D033381:Anomura / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014649:Vas Deferens / Q000648:ultrastructure