Artigo Acesso aberto Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

Relative growth and morphological sexual maturity of the caridean shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae) in an upwelling region in the Western Atlantic

2017; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 62; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/07924259.2017.1398190

ISSN

2157-0272

Autores

Daphine Ramiro Herrera, Thiago Maia Davanso, Rogério Caetano da Costa,

Tópico(s)

Marine and fisheries research

Resumo

In crustaceans, successful reproductive processes, such as the transition from juvenile to adult, exhibit important morphological changes that can be detected by analyzing relative growth. This study describes the relative growth of body structures in Nematopalaemon schmitti and its secondary sexual characteristics, and also estimates the morphological sexual maturity of this species in a region influenced by upwelling. The carapace length (CL), second pleuron length (PlL), cheliped carpus length (CaL), cheliped propodus length (PrL) and the length of appendix masculina (AML) of the shrimp were measured. The relationships that best demonstrated the changes in allometric coefficient between demographic categories were AML vs. CL for males, and PlL vs. CL for females. The estimated CL for morphological sexual maturity in males was 8.51 mm and 9.30 in females. Our results showed the appendix masculine and the second pleuron were secondary sexual characteristics that play roles in reaching the morphological sexual maturity necessary for reproductive success and to assure the life cycle of this species.

Referência(s)