Reproductive biology of the hairy crab Pilumnus vespertilio (Brachyura: Pilumnidae) in the East African region

Reproductive patterns such as gonad maturation, production and release of gametes, fecundity and moulting play a major role in the continuity of populations and their adaptations to the environment they inhabit. The present study assesses the breeding cycle, moult activity and egg production in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2005-08, Vol.85 (4), p.877-881
Main Author: Litulo, Carlos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biology
Brachyura
Crustacea
Crustaceans
Decapoda
Egg production
Eggs
Fecundity
Females
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gonads
Invertebrates
Males
Marine
Ovaries
Pilumnidae
Pilumnus vespertilio
Relative abundance
Research Article
Salinity
Sea water ecosystems
Spawning
Summer
Synecology
Testes
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Summary:Reproductive patterns such as gonad maturation, production and release of gametes, fecundity and moulting play a major role in the continuity of populations and their adaptations to the environment they inhabit. The present study assesses the breeding cycle, moult activity and egg production in the hairy crab Pilumnus vespertilio, a typical inhabitant of intertidal pebble and rocky substrates of East African coasts. A total of 930 crabs was collected between January and December 2002 at Inhaca Island, southern Mozambique. Both oogenesis and spermatogenesis exhibit a continuous and synchronized pattern. Maturation of the female and male gonads occurs from early winter to mid summer and spawning is in summer. Moulting females showed two major peaks (January–March and October–December) whereas a single peak was recorded in males (October–December). Pilumnus vespertilio breeds continuously with high incidence in March and December and a strong decrease from April to July. Results revealed that both temperature and rainfall were positively associated with the relative abundance of egg-bearing females. The number of eggs carried by ovigerous females increased with size, ranging from 300 to 8000. The high reproductive activity of P. vespertilio may enhance larval survival and development, which guarantees juvenile recruitment in the study area.
ISSN:0025-3154
1469-7769
DOI:10.1017/S0025315405011835