To understand sperm plug dissolution and spermatophore dehiscence in Portunidae, histological and ultrastructural changes in the seminal receptacle (SR) of Arenaeus cribrarius were investigated during ovarian development. In juvenile females the SR was filled with acid polysaccharides and the dorsal epithelium was stratified. Mated females with rudimentary ovaries showed a large SR filled by a glycoprotein sperm plug. This plug was present until the developing-ovary stage, when spermatophore dehiscence and intense holocrine secretions in the dorsal dense layer occurred. The plug was absent after the intermediate stage, and the SR became flaccid. The secretion produced moved the spermatophores into the ventral region. The modified dorsal epithelium in the transition between the dorsal and ventral regions released acid polysaccharides, which were found among the sperm, by exocytosis. The morphological changes of the SR in A. cribrarius, including the presence of the sperm plug, followed the macroscopic pattern observed in other members of Portunidae, such as blue crabs. However, in this species dissolution of the sperm plug was synchronized with ovarian development and occurred simultaneously with spermatophore dehiscence, showing the evolutionary relationship of the seminal receptacle and the female reproductive system to the storage of spermatophores and spermatozoa.

The by-catch fauna of the shrimp fishery includes a number of marine invertebrates that are discarded because they do not have commercial value. In order to try to add some value to these materials, we analyzed the chemical composition of the starfish Luidia senegalensis collected in the Brazilian coast as a consequence of the trawling fishery method. In order to access their chemical composition, we used a combination of solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-IT-MSn). Luidia senegalensis contains asterosaponins, which are sulphated glycosilated steroids, containing five and six sugar moieties, in addition to polyhydroxysteroids. This study helped us to support the presence of important and potentially bioactive compounds in invertebrates associated to the by-catch fauna of the shrimp fishery, using a fast and efficient method.Graphical Abstract