Chemical communication is widely used by crustaceans, for example, in sexual interactions, larval release, and planktonic settlement. However, we know the identity of very few of the molecules involved. In this chapter, I introduce pheromones and contrast them with signature mixtures. Pheromones are molecules that are evolved signals, in defined ratios in the case of multiple component pheromon...

Extranuclear basic proteins have been detected in the capsule of the spermatozoa of three species of decapod crustaceans (Nephrops norvegicus L., Macrura; Eupagurus bernhardus L., Anomura; Carcinus maenas Penn., Brachyura). Their properties have been studied by cytochemical methods. Their position inside the capsule of the spermatozoon has been specified with the aid of the electron microscope....

Hypothesis: Inbreeding depression is manifest in lower sperm production. Organism: Freshwater crustaceans (clam shrimp – Eulimnadia texana), from the southwestern United States, which have high levels of inbreeding. Methods: Comparisons of semi-thin sections of the male gonad among selfed and outcrossed siblings from four families. Results: There was a twofold reduction in sperm production in i...

Control of reproductive development in crustaceans requires neuropeptides, ecdysone and methyl farnesoate (MF). A major source of neuropeptides is the X-organ-sinus gland (XO-SG) complex located in the eyestalk ganglia of crustaceans. The other regulatory factors (either peptides or neuromodulators) are produced in the brain and thoracic ganglia (TG). Two other regulatory non-peptide compounds,...

The feeding habits of the shortnose guitarfish, Zapteryx brevirostris, were studied based on 382 specimens from the northern São Paulo coast, southeast Brazil. The diet showed a predominance of crustaceans (carideans and amphipods), polychaete annelids, and occasionally small fish, sipunculids, and cephalopods. The diets of males and females were similar; however, differences in the proportion ...