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Hippolyte obliquimanus (Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae): a gonochoric or hermaphroditic shrimp species?

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Abstract

Several studies have reported the occurrence of hermaphroditism in caridean shrimps of the family Hippolytidae. Here we provide the first observations of population traits from the small Western Atlantic shrimp, Hippolyte obliquimanus, to determine its sexual system using descriptive and experimental approaches. Specimens were collected at 2-month intervals from March 2005 to May 2006 in Ubatuba Bay on the northern coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The sex of individuals was checked and morphometric dimensions (carapace length, maximum pleura of second abdominal segment width, appendix masculina length, maximum propodus width, and dactyl length of the third pereopod) were also analyzed. The gonads were dissected and examined for signs of abnormalities. The possibility of sex change was experimentally evaluated under laboratory conditions. A total of 674 specimens were collected: 211 males, 339 non-ovigerous females, and 124 ovigerous females. The carapace length ranged from 0.55 to 3.20 mm, with females being significantly larger than males. Hippolyte obliquimanus showed sexual dimorphism in the third pereopod, absence of cincinnuli in the first pleopod, and no reduction of the appendix masculina in the largest males. All males examined had only testes, and all females had only ovaries. There was no sex change observed in the experiments. Together, these data indicate a population with females reaching larger sizes than males, males with a well-developed appendix masculina, and no transitional individuals. The results presented allow characterizing H. obliquimanus as a gonochoric species.

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Acknowledgments

This study forms part of a Master’s dissertation by MT and was supported by a fellowship from CAPES. FLM is grateful to CNPq for the current research fellowship. Special thanks for all members of the Laboratory of Bioecology and Crustacean Systematics of FFCLRP/USP, for their help during field and laboratory works, to Dra. Andrea Meireles for comments and corrections and to Dra. Janet Reid (Virginia Museum of Natural History) for his great assistance in English revision and suggestions. The support of the Postgraduate Program in Comparative Biology of FFCLRP/USP and the Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar/USP) during field work is gratefully acknowledged. We would also like to thank Martin Thiel and Valerio Zupo for their suggestions and contributions towards the improvement of this paper. All experiments conducted in this study complied with current applicable state and federal laws of Brazil (DIFAP/IBAMA, 121/05).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory 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

    Mariana Terossi & Fernando L. Mantelatto

  2. Postgraduate Program in Comparative Biology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mariana Terossi

  3. Department of Biodiversity and Biological Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Laura S. López Greco

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  1. Mariana Terossi
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  2. Laura S. López Greco
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  3. Fernando L. Mantelatto
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Correspondence to Fernando L. Mantelatto.

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Communicated by R. Cattaneo-Vietti.

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Terossi, M., López Greco, L.S. & Mantelatto, F.L. Hippolyte obliquimanus (Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae): a gonochoric or hermaphroditic shrimp species?. Mar Biol 154, 127–135 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0907-1

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