Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T01:12:51.409Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sexual maturity of the swimming crab Callinectes danae (Crustacea: Portunidae) at the Santa Cruz Channel, a tropical coastal environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2011

Marina S.L.C. Araújo ,
Aurinete O. Negromonte ,
Aline V. Barreto  and
Daniela S. Castiglioni
Marina S.L.C. Araújo*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Carcinologia, Departamento de Oceanografia (DOCEAN), Universidade Federal de Permambuco (UFPE), Avenida da Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, CEP 50. 740–550, Recife, Pemambuco, Brazil
Aurinete O. Negromonte
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Carcinologia, Departamento de Oceanografia (DOCEAN), Universidade Federal de Permambuco (UFPE), Avenida da Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, CEP 50. 740–550, Recife, Pemambuco, Brazil
Aline V. Barreto
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Carcinologia, Departamento de Oceanografia (DOCEAN), Universidade Federal de Permambuco (UFPE), Avenida da Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, CEP 50. 740–550, Recife, Pemambuco, Brazil
Daniela S. Castiglioni
Affiliation:
Centro Acadêmico de Vitoria (CAV), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Rua Alto Resematório, s/n, Bela Vista, CRP 55. 608–680, Vitória de Santo Antão Permambuco, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: M.S.L.C. Araújo, Avenida Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, Recife–PE, CEP 50.740-550 email: mslc.araujo@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper aims to study the morphological and gonadal maturity of the swimming crab Callinectes danae in the Santa Cruz Channel, Brazil. Crabs of both sexes were measured at carapace width (CW), carapace length (CL), abdomen width (AW), length of the right chelipod (LRC), and dissected to visualize the gonads. The gonadal maturity was estimated based on the frequency of mature individuals per class of CW, and the determination of morphological maturity was based on the relationship between the structures LRC versus CW for males and AW versus CW for females. The sizes that 50% of females reached gonadal and morphological maturity were 62.5 and 59.5 mm CW respectively. In turn, the sizes that 50% of males reached gonadal and morphological maturity were 74.5 and 70.5 mm CW respectively. In the analysis of dispersion of points in relation to AW versus CW, it could be observed that juvenile females showed positive allometry and adult females showed negative allometry, indicating a higher growth rate during the juvenile phase, related to the need of expanding the abdomen for egg incubation at the adult phase. In the relation LRC versus CW, it was observed that both juvenile and adult males showed positive allometry, but changes in the degree of allometry were evident between the two phases. The exceeding growth of the chelipod of males may be related to the reproductive process, including courtship and agonistic interactions with other males.

Keywords

sexual dimorphismgrowthmorphometryBrachyurabiometric relationships
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 92 , Issue 2 , March 2012 , pp. 287 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Annala, J.H., Mckoy, J.L., Booth, J.D. and Pike, R.B. (1980) Size at the onset of sexual maturity in female Jasus edwardsii (Decapoda: Palinuridae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 14, 217–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baptista-Metri, C., Pinheiro, M.A.A., Blankensteyn, A. and Borzone, C.A. (2005) Biologia populacional e reprodutiva de Callinectes danae Smith (Crustacea: Portunidae), no Balneário Shangri-lá, Pontal do Paraná (PR), Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22, 446–453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barreto, A.V., Batista-Leite, L.M.A. and Aguiar, M.C.A. (2006) Maturidade sexual das fêmeas de Callinectes danae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae) nos estuários dos rios Botafogo e Carrapicho, Itamaracá–PE Brasil. Iheringia, Série Zoologia 96, 141–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branco, J.O. and Thives, A. (1991) Relação peso/largura, fator de condição e tamanho de primeira maturação de Callinectes danae Smith, 1869 (Crustacea, Portunidae) no manguezal do Itacorubi, SC, Brasil. Arquivos de Biologia e Tecnologia 34, 415–424.Google Scholar
Branco, J.O. and Avilar, M.G. (1992) Fecundidade em Callinectes danae Smith (Decapoda, Portunidae) na Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 9, 167–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branco, J.O. and Masunari, S. (2000) Reproductive ecology of the blue crab Callinectes danae Smith, 1869 in the Conceição Lagoon system, Santa Catarina Isle, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 60, 17–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castiglioni, D.S., Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. and Mortari, R.C. (2006) Biologia populacional do caranguejo violinista Uca rapax (Smith, 1870) (Crustacea, Ocypodoidea), proveniente de uma área de manguezal degradado em Paraty, RJ, Brasil. Atlântica 28, 73–86.Google Scholar
Costa, T.M. and Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. (1998) The reproductive cycle of Callinectes danae Smith, 1869 (Decapoda, Portunidae) in the Ubatuba region, Brazil. Crustaceana 71, 615–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Díaz, H. and Conde, J.E. (1989) Population dynamics and life of mangrove crab Aratus pisonii (Brachyura, Grapsidae) in a marine environment. Bulletin of Marine Science 45, 148–163.Google Scholar
Du Preez, H.H. and McLachlan, A. (1984) Biology of three-spot swimming crab Ovalipes punctatus (De Hann). III. Reproduction, fecundity and egg development. Crustaceana 47, 285–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eskinazi-Leça, E., Macedo, S.J. and Passavante, J.Z.O. (1980) Estudo ecológico da região de Itamaracá, Pernambuco, Brasil. V. Composição e distribuição do microfitoplâncton na região do Canal de Santa Cruz. Trabalhos Oceanográficos da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco 15, 185–262.Google Scholar
Fielder, D.R. and Eales, A.J. (1972) Observations on courtship, mating and sexual maturity in Portunus pelagicus (L., 1766) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae). Journal of Natural History 6, 273–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freire, J.R., Muiño, R., Fernández, L. and González-Guirrirán, E. (1991) Life cycle of Liocarcinus arcuatus (Brachyura, Portunidae) in the Ría de Arousa (Galicia, NW Spain): role of beach and mussel raft culture areas. Marine Ecology 12, 193–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giménez, E. and Acevedo, M. (1982) Relaciones morfométricas y talla de primera maduración del cangrejo de tierra Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille em la Ciénega de Zapata. Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Pesqueras 7, 18–37.Google Scholar
Gleeson, R.A. (1991) Intrinsic factors mediating pheromone communication in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. In Martin, J.W. and Bauer, R.T. (eds) Crustacean sexual biology. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 17–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
González-Gurriarán, E. and Freire, J. (1994) Sexual maturity in the velvet swimming crab Necora puber (Brachyura, Portunidae): morphometric and reproductive analyses. Journal of Marine Science 51, 133–145.Google Scholar
Guerrero-Ocampo, C.M., Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. and Costa, T.M. (1998) Comparação do peso dos quelípodos e crescimento em duas espécies de ‘siris’ do gênero Callinectes (Brachyura, Portunidae). Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 41, 483–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haefner, P.A. Jr (1990) Morphometry and size at maturity of Callinectes ornatus (Brachyura, Portunidae) in Bermuda. Bulletin of Marine Science 46, 274–286.Google Scholar
Hartnoll, R.G. (1974) Variation in growth pattern between some secondary sexual characters in crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura). Crustaceana 27, 31–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartnoll, R.G. (1978) The determination of relative growth in Crustacea. Crustaceana 34, 281–293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartnoll, R.G. (1982) Growth. In Bliss, D.E. (ed.) The biology of Crustacea: embryology, morphology and genetics. Volume 3. New York: Academic Press, pp. 111–196.Google Scholar
Hartnoll, R.G. (1985) Growth, sexual maturity and reproductive output. In Wenner, A.M. (ed.) Factors in adult growth. Rotterdam: A.A. Balkema, pp. 15–17.Google Scholar
Hines, A.H. (1982) Allometric constraints and variables of reproductive effort in brachyuran crabs. Marine Biology 69, 309–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huxley, J.S. (1950) Relative growth and form transformation. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London B 137, 465–469.Google ScholarPubMed
Leite, M.M.L., Fonteles-Filho, A.A., Silva, J.R.F. and Cardoso, N.S. (2006) Análise do crescimento alométrico no caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus (Decapoda: Ocypodidae), no estuário do Rio Coreaú, Camocim, Ceará. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar 39, 93–98.Google Scholar
Lima, G.V. and Oshiro, L.M.Y. (2006) Maturidade sexual do caranguejo Armases rubripes (Rathbun) (Crustacea, Brachyura, Sesarmidae) na Baía de Sepetiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 23, 1078–1086.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macedo, S.J., Montes, M.J.F. and Lins, I.C. (2000) Características abióticas da área estuarina do Canal de Santa Cruz. In Barros, H., Eskinazi-Leça, E., Macedo, S.J. and Lima, T. (eds) Gerenciamento participativo de estuários e manguezais. 1st edition. Recife: Editora Universitária, pp. 7–25.Google Scholar
Mantelatto, F.L.M. (1995) Biologia reprodutiva de Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae) na região de Ubatuba (SP), Brasil. PhD thesis. Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.Google Scholar
Mantelatto, F.L.M. and Martinelli, J.M. (1999) Carapace width–weight relationships of Callinectes ornatus (Brachyura, Portunidae) from Ubatuba Bay, Brazil. Iheringia, Série Zoologia 87, 111–116.Google Scholar
Mantelatto, F.L.M. and Fransozo, A. (1996) Size at sexual maturity in Callinectes ornatus (Brachyura, Portunidae) from the Ubatuba Region (SP), Brazil. Nauplius 4, 29–38.Google Scholar
Masunari, S. and Swiech-Ayoub, B.P. (2003) Crescimento relativo em Uca leptodactyla Rathbun (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ocypodidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 20, 487–491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Medeiros, M.F.T. and Oshiro, L.M.Y. (1990) Aspectos reprodutivos de Callinectes danae Smith, 1869 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae) na Baía de Sepetiba, RJ. Publicação da Academia de Ciências do Estado de São Paulo 70, 150–159.Google Scholar
Moura, N.F.O. and Coelho, P.A. (2004) Maturidade sexual fisiológica em Goniopsis cruentata (Latreille) (Crustacea, Brachyura, Grapsidae) no Estuário do Paripe, Pernambuco, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 21, 1011–1015.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paiva, A.C.G., Coelho, P.A. and Torres, M.F.A. (2005) Influência dos fatores abióticos sobre a macrofauna de substratos inconsolidados da zona entre-marés no Canal de Santa Cruz, Pernambuco, Brasil. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar 38, 85–92.Google Scholar
Pereira-Barros, J.B. (1980) Sobre o dimorfismo sexual de Callinectes danae e o polimorfismo entre fêmeas em estágios de desenvolvimento sexual diferentes. Revista Nordestina de Biologia 3, 79–89.Google Scholar
Pinheiro, M.A.A. and Fransozo, A. (1993) Relative growth of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Brachyura, Portunidae), near Ubatuba, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Crustaceana 65, 365–376.Google Scholar
Pinheiro, M.A.A. and Fransozo, A. (1998) Sexual maturity of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae), in the Ubatuba littoral, São Paulo State, Brazil. Crustaceana 71, 434–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinheiro, M.A.A., Fiscarelli, A.G. and Hattori, G.Y. (2005) Growth of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 25, 293–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reigada, A.L.D., Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L. and Mantelatto, F.L.M. (1994) Avaliação do tamanho dos quelípodos de Hepatus pudibundus (Herbst, 1785) (Crustacea, Calapidae), em relação ao sexo e à maturação. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 37, 797–807.Google Scholar
Sampedro, M.P., González-Gurriarán, E., Freire, J. and Muiño, R. (1999) Morphometry and sexual maturity in the spider crab Maja squinado (Decapoda: Majidae) in Galicia, Spain. Journal of Crustacean Biology 19, 578–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sastry, A. (1983) Ecological aspects of reproduction. In Bliss, D.E. (ed.) The biology of Crustacea. New York: Academic Press, pp. 179–269.Google Scholar
Teissier, G. (1960) Relative growth. In Waterman, T.H. (ed.) The physiology of Crustacea. Volume 1. New York: Academic Press, pp. 473–536.Google Scholar
Tsuchida, S. and Fujikura, K. (2000) Heterochely, relative growth and gonopod morphology in the bythograeid crab, Austinograea williamsi (Decapoda, Brachyura). Journal of Crustacean Biology 20, 407–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Engel, W.A. (1958) The blue crab and its fishery in Chesapeake Bay. I. Reproduction, early development, growth, and migration. Commercial Fisheries Review 20, 6–17.Google Scholar
Vazzoler, A.E.A.M. (1996) Biologia da reprodução de peixes teleósteos: teoria e prática. Maringá: Nupelia.Google Scholar
Vermeij, G.J. (1977) Patterns in crab claw size: the geography of crushing. Systematic Zoology 26, 138–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenner, A.M., Fusaro, C. and Oaten, A. (1974) Size at onset of sexual maturity and growth rate in crustacean populations. Canadian Journal of Zoology 52, 1095–1106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zar, J.H. (1996) Biostatistical analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 662 pp.Google Scholar