Embryonic development and duration of incubation period of tropical intertidal hermit crabs (Decapoda, Anomura)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The description of the embryonic development of the hermit crabs Clibanarius antillensis Stimpson, 1859, C. sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796), C. vittatus (Bosc, 1802, and Pagurus criniticornis (Dana, 1852) and preliminary observations on the development of Pagurus brevidactylus (Stimpson, 1858) and Paguristes tortugae Schmitt, 1933 were done. The analysis of the external morphology of the embryos of the studied species allowed the identification of seven stages: Stage 1, Zygote and cleavage; Stage 2, Homogeneous mass (advanced cleavage and gastrulation); Stage 3, Initiation of the germinal disc (yolk-free area); Stage 4, Percentage of yolk-free area from 5% to 50-70%; Stage 5, Eye pigmentation (comma-shape) and heart beating; Stage 6, Percentage of yolk-free area from 70-80% to 95%) and eye development to a darkened irregularly-rounded shape; Stage 7, Zoea visible and hatching. Despite all stages were recorded in all species, interespecific differences were recorded in relation to zygote size and embryo color; cleavage, absolute and relative developmental time, and moment eye pigmentation appeared. Such morphological differences may be associated to variations in the yolk amount and composition and reveal different reproductive strategies at least between P. criniticornis and all studied species of Clibanarius.

Parasitic bopyrid isopods of hermit crabs (Anomura, Paguridae) from the Atlantic coast of Mexico, with notes on their reproduction and distribution

“…002 mm 3 , respectively. The number of embryos of both females was less than the average fecundity reported for C. antillensis (Turra & Leite 1999) but embryo size was in the range reported for this species by Turra & Leite (2007).…”

Comparative study on the embryonic development of three mud crabs Scylla spp.

“…Differences in the developmental rate and time of the embryonic stages may define the total incubation period of each species. Turra and Leite (2007) hypothesized that the difference in the duration of embryonic development among species may have a direct relationship with the relative egg size, yolk composition and species‐specific reproductive strategies. The presence or absence of a resting period is the primary cause of variation in the length of the embryonic incubation cycle in crustaceans (Wear 1974).…”

Population biology of Macrobrachium jelskii (Miers, 1877) (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from an artificial pond in Bahia, Brazil

“…The color of the early eggs of M. jelskii varies from orange (Paiva and Barreto, 1960;Mossolin et al, 2013) to green (Gamba, 1997;present study). This variation in color may correspond to differences in the composition of the vitellum, as observed in hermit crabs (Turra and Leite, 2007). Furthermore, all studies conducted to date have reported that the late eggs of M. jelskii become whitish.…”