Resumo: Callichirus major pertence à ordem Decapoda e família Callianassidae, sendo uma espécie que habita a região interdial de ecossistemas praianos, sendo amplamente capturada para utilização como isca viva para pesca. O presente estudo objetivou descrever morfologicamente o processo espermatogênico nesta espécie de crustáceo, com a finalidade de entender melhor a sua biologia reprodutiva. Os animais, coletados ao longo da Praia do Corujão, em Piúma/ES, foram triados e, em laboratório, tiveram suas gônadas masculinas dissecadas e submetidas ao processamento histológico de rotina. As células germinativas foram classificadas em: Espermatogônia (SPG); Espermatócito I e II (SPTCI, SPTCII); Espermátide inicial e final (EI, EF) e Espermatozoide (SPZ). Células acessórias também estiverem presentes, possuindo núcleo esférico ou triangular, distribuídas na periferia e entre a linhagem germinativa no lóbulo gonadal. Baseado nas observações microscópicas foi possível constatar que esta espécie possui a espermatogênese assincrônica, indicando que a reprodução pode ocorrer durante o ano todo.
Callichirus major is a species of ghost shrimp that has burrowing habits, building underground galleries in the intertidal region of beaches. This study aimed to analyse some morphological parameters to verify its type of sexual pattern. A sample of 79 individuals, collected at the beach of Corujão, Espírito Santo, Brazil, was used. Data on the external morphology, presence of gonopores, carapace length (CL) and cheliped lengths (Lch) were obtained. In addition, the gonads were processed for histological analysis. The animals were divided into three categories: A, individuals with male characteristics; B, those presenting exclusively female characteristics; C, animals with characteristics of intersex, which presented supernumerary gonopores. Positive allometries were found for Lch versus CL only for category A, characterizing the group's marked heterochely. Histologically, it was possible to observe the presence of oocytes in category A and one case of male tissue in an intersex individual (category C). However, no genital ducts of both sexes were found in that individual. Callichirus major presents controversial sexual characters, which makes it difficult to understand the reproductive parameters and sexual pattern. However, maybe that species can develop a sexual system of hermaphroditism.
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