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Spermatophore and spermatozoal ultrastructure of the Mediterranean hermit crab Pagurus excavatus (Paguridae: Anomura: Decapoda)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2013

Tina Tirelli ,
Marco Gamba ,
Daniela Pessani  and
Christopher C. Tudge
Tina Tirelli*
Affiliation:
Life Sciences and Systems Biology Department, University of Torino–Via Accademia Albertina, 13–10123 Torino (Italy)
Marco Gamba
Affiliation:
Life Sciences and Systems Biology Department, University of Torino–Via Accademia Albertina, 13–10123 Torino (Italy)
Daniela Pessani
Affiliation:
Life Sciences and Systems Biology Department, University of Torino–Via Accademia Albertina, 13–10123 Torino (Italy)
Christopher C. Tudge
Affiliation:
Biology Department, American University, Washington, DC, 20016-8007, USA and Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, 20013-7012, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: T. Tirelli, Life Sciences and Systems Biology Department, University of Torino-Via Accademia Albertina, 13–10123 Torino (Italy) email: santina.tirelli@unito.it
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Abstract

The ultrastructure of the spermatophores and spermatozoa of the Mediterranean hermit crab Pagurus excavatus are described, using transmission electron microscopy. The size of the different parts of the spermatophore and spermatozoa are given and their ultrastructure described and compared to similar data already present in the literature for other hermit crabs. The morphology and ultrastructure of the spermatophore and spermatozoa of P. excavatus are species-specific, clearly distinguishing the species from the others already described. The spermatophore and spermatozoa show some similarities with those produced by other representatives of the genus. In particular, the tripartite spermatophore is divided into two halves by the lateral ridge and, as with the spermatophores produced by other species belonging to the genus Pagurus, it is morphologically very different from any other Paguroidea. The spermatozoa are composed of an ovoidal acrosomal vesicle capped by the operculum; the acrosome has a length:width ratio of approximately 1.75, therefore larger than 1 as reported for all anomurans studied to date. At the base of the acrosomal vesicle, there is the thin cytoplasm, the large nucleus and three arms positioned to form a 120° angle between each other. The present description is an important additional step allowing for better understanding of the relationships among the different hermit crab taxa.

Keywords

morphologydescriptionreproductive productsCrustaceaDecapoda
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Issue 5 , August 2013 , pp. 1363 - 1371
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

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