Reproductive System of Flower Crab, Charybdis

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Reproductive System of Flower Crab, Charybdis Soundarapandian et al., 2:4 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/scientificreports701 Open Access Open Access Scientific Reports Scientific Reports Research Article OpenOpen Access Access Reproductive System of Flower Crab, Charybdis feriata (Linnaeus) Soundarapandian P1*, Ilavarasan N2 and Varadharajan D1 1Faculty of Marine Sciences, Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai-Tamil Nadu, India 2Department of Zoology, Government Arts College, Karur, India Abstract Information about the reproductive biology of a crab species is important for the successful seed production in captivity. Hence the present study was aimed to investigate the male and female reproductive system of C. feriata. The male reproductive system of C. feriata composed of a pair of testes, a pair of vas differentia and a pair of ejaculatory ducts. The testes are connected with the vas deferens through a short small duct called vas efferens. The vas differentia has been divided into three distinct regions, based on the morphological and functional criteria: Anterior (AVD), Median (MVD) and Posterior (PVD) vas deferens. The developmental stages of male gonads include immature, maturing and matured. The gonadosomatic index of the male crab was increased from immature crabs (0.48) to matured crabs (0.79). The female reproductive system composed of a pair of ovaries, a pair of seminal receptacles (or) spermatheca and a pair of oviducts. The ovaries of C. feriata are categorized into five stages according to the size, colour and external morphology of the ovaries. They are immature, early maturing, late maturing, ripe and spent. The GSI in females were increased from immature crabs (1.95) to ripened crabs (3.97). Based on the change in colour, increase in the size and change in the shape of the berry eggs, three different stages (I, II & III) of egg development was observed. The fecundity of the female was found to be from 2, 83,963 to 9, 67,293 eggs in the animals had the carapace width of 10.6 to 14.1 cm. Keywords: Reproductive biology; Pair of testes; Pair of ovaries; Pair eggs were selected for egg counting (Fecundity). To estimate the of oviducts; C. feriata fecundity, pleopods bearing eggs were removed carefully and the weight of the whole egg mass (berry) was taken to the nearest 0.001 Introduction g, then four subsamples of berried eggs (0.1 g) were cut from different locations of the egg mass. Number of eggs in each four sub samples Berried females are important to start a commercial hatchery, but was counted with the help of counting tray under stereomicroscope. berried females are not available throughout the year from the wild. So Average no of eggs present in the samples was then calculated. In order the production of berried females in a controlled condition is essential. to find out the total weight of the egg mass, the eggs were removed from Before that once should know the morphology of the reproductive the pleopods and weight of the pleopods was taken.This was subtracted system and reproductive biology of a particular crab is important [1-3]. from the weight of the whole egg mass. Fecundity was then calculated Reproduction is the main mechanism to maintain species proliferation by the following formula [6]. and continuity [4,5]. The recognition of biological data about n reproduction is required for judicious management and exploitation of N = W × particular species resources. Hence in the present study an attempt has W been made on the various aspects of reproductive biology of the male Where W= total weight of the egg mass only; w=average weight of and female crabs of C. feriata, such as morphology of the reproductive the four egg samples; n = average number of eggs in the samples; N= tract, gonad development, gonado somatic index (GSI), size at maturity total number of eggs (Fecundity). and fecundity. Results Materials and Methods Morphology of the male reproductive system The crabs for the present study was collected from Parangipettai landing centre (Lat.11°29’N; Long.79°46’E) and brought to the The male reproductive system of C. feriata is bilaterally laboratory by using plastic container. The crabs were segregated as symmetrical creamy to whitish in colour, composed of a pair of testes, male and females. They were weighed individually and the size of the a pair of vas differentia and a pair of ejaculatory ducts internally and a carapace width was measured. Sexes were determined by examining pair of pleopods externally as accessory reproductive organs, present the abdominal morphology. The pleopods and gonopores were analyzed to find out the mating and extrusion of eggs. Presence of the eggs or egg remnants or their *Corresponding author: Soundarapandian P, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, absence on pleopods, colour of the egg mass was also noted. The Parangipettai-608 502, Tamil Nadu, India, Tel: 04144-243223; Fax: 04144- crabs were dissected to study the morphology of the reproductive 243553; E-mail: [email protected] tract and stages of maturation, size, weight, colour of the gonads and Received March 18, 2012; Published May 27, 2013 gonadosomatic index (GSI).The dissected gonads were measured to Citation: Soundarapandian P, Ilavarasan N, Varadharajan D (2013) Reproductive the nearest 0.001g by using the electronic balance and subsequently System of Flower Crab, Charybdis feriata (Linnaeus). 2: 701 doi:10.4172/ gonadosomatic index was calculated by the following formula. scientificreports.701 Wet weight of the gonad GSI = x 100 Copyright: © 2013 Soundarapandian P, et al. This is an open-access article Wet weight of the animal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided Recently spawned females with bright yellow or orange coloured the original author and source are credited. Volume 2 • Issue 4 • 2013 Citation: Soundarapandian P, Ilavarasan N, Varadharajan D (2013) Reproductive System of Flower Crab, Charybdis feriata (Linnaeus). 2: 701 doi:10.4172/scientificreports.701 Page 2 of 7 on the inner side of the abdominal flab. The testes are flat and highly differentia becoming enlarged middle and posterior vas differentia coiled roughly in the form of “H” located on the dorsal portion of straight and opaque extending to both the side of the heart. the hepatopancreas sandwiched between the hepatopancreas and the hypodermis of the carapace, and continuing laterally to the stomach Matured: Testes showed further enlargement as vas differentia are upto vas deferens.Just before the posterior stomach and anterior to the coiled and very much swollen occupying full body cavity. The AVD heart the left and right testis are bridged by a commissure. and MVD are enlarged and milky white in colour, PVD enlarged and convoluted but still opaque. Gonads of males measuring above 10.5 cm The testes are connected with the vas deferens through a short small duct called vas efferens. Vas differentia is a pair of elongated and coiled carapace width are in mature stage. tubules which extend longitudinally from the posterior testes upto Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) in male crabs the posterior region of the body. The vas differentia has been divided into three distinct regions, based on the morphological and functional The Gonadosomatic index of the male and female crabs was studied criteria: Anterior (AVD), Median (MVD) and Posterior (PVD) vas according to the size and weight of the crab. The GSI of the male crab deferens. The AVD are white, tightly coiled and lying on either side (0.48) was increased from immature crabs to matured crabs (0.79).The of the median line of cephalothorax posterior to the dorsal part of the size of the animals was ranging between 8.0 – 8.5 cm carapace width to stomach. The coils of the AVD increase in size posterio-ventrally and 14.1–14.5 cm carapace width (Table 1). lead into the middle vas deferens, which are milky-white meandering tubules of a higher caliber than both the testes and AVD. The posterior Morphology of the female reproductive tract vas deferens are whitish in colour arises from the posterior end of The female reproductive system composed of a pair of ovaries, a the median vas deferens, which are massive for its proximal part, but gradually narrow before opening to the ejaculatory duct.Each posterior pair of seminal receptacles (or) spermatheca and a pair of oviducts VD is connected with an ejaculatory duct, which is a smooth narrow (open to the exterior through the female genital opening situated on duct extending between the musculature of the swimming peddles. the left and right sternites of sixth thoracic segment).The oviducts The ejaculatory duct leads into the slender weak tube like genital pass ventrally from the seminal receptacle.The ovary is surrounded papilla (or) penis, which are located at the base of the swimming legs. by a fibrous connective tissue which separates the ovary from the Each penis passes into the two pairs of abdominal appendages called surrounding hemocoel.The ovary is roughly in the form of a 'H' and lies pleopods (or) gonopods situated in the inner side of the abdominal on top of the hepatopancreas extending on both sides along the anterior flab. The first pleopod is made up of two segments, the basal one is margin of the cephalothorax is called anterior horns. The ovaries run in broad to the sternal wall and the terminal one is long tube-like and posterior cardial direction to the cardiac stomach and just posterior to tapering towards the tip, which is actually inserted into the seminal the stomach, anterior horns are joined by a commissure.The posterior receptacle of the female during copulation.
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