Intersex females in the red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus (Decapoda: Parastacidae)

Abstract

Abstract:Cherax quadricarinatus is a large freshwater crayfish species (Parastacidae) native of north-west Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. The species typically exhibits a gonochoristic sexual system, although in cultured populations various types of intersex individuals have been described as functional males. In the present study, the macroscopic morphology and the gonadal histology of one type of intersex are described and discussed. All intersexes having both pairs of genital openings (female and male openings) and lacking both appendix masculinae and red patches were functional females with normal ovaries and oviducts. From a histological point of view, they did not differ from normal females having previtellogenic and/or vitellogenic ovaries according to size. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (Suppl. 1): 25-32. Epub 2007 June, 29.

Transcriptomic characterization and curation of candidate neuropeptides regulating reproduction in the eyestalk ganglia of the Australian crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus

“…FAO predicts that C. quadricarinatus would be an attractive freshwater species due to the relative ease of farming and distinct advantages over mariculture34 provided proper guidelines and sustainable management practices are implemented. Moreover, C. quadricarinatus serves as a good model organism for the commercially important group of decapod crustaceans; it is hardy, endures a high range of conditions, easy to maintain in the laboratory and its reproductive cycle has been well documented35, with a unique feature of intersex individuals which occur naturally in the population36373839. The molecular toolbox available for C. quadricarinatus was recently supplemented with several transcriptomes4041 however, no study has been undertaken to establish the C. quadricarinatus neuropeptidome.…”

Effects of androgenic gland ablation on growth and reproductive parameters of Cherax quadricarinatus males (Parastacidae, Decapoda)

“…Although C. quadricarinatus is considered a gonochoristic species, the presence of intersex individuals in wild and cultured pop-ulations with both male and female genital openings may indicate a high degree of sexual plasticity [5,25,39,53,56,65]. The intersex individuals have proven to be useful models to investigate the role of the AG on sex differentiation and gonad regulation.…”