Reproductive products in the adult snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio). II. Multiple types of sperm cells and of spermatophores in the spermathecae of mated females

Abstract

Contents of the spermathecae of mated adult snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) were examined by light microscopy. The contents could consist of water and three basic types of amorphous matter and of spermatophores. Water was present in the form of large patches or smaller spheres. Of the two major types of amorphous matter, one reacted positively and one negatively to periodic acid -Schiff's reagent (PAS), and one was only, and one predominantly, of male origin. The minor type of amorphous matter was orange and of female origin and could include dark cellular debris. Spermatophores enclosed either immature spermatids, mature spermatids, hitherto unreported spermatozoa, or cell forms intermediate between these three types. Peripheral mature spermatids and spermatozoa had a polarized orientation and were attached to the spermatophore wall. Overall, amorphous matter and spermatophores were topographically segregated by type within a spermatheca, and spermatophores enclosing immature spermatids occurred mostly in PAS-negative amorphous matter. Spermatid differentiation can unfold in the female reproductive tract as well as in the vas deferens, while the transformation of spermatids into spermatozoa was observed only in the female. The diversity of sperm cell types and the ordered placement of semen constituents within the spermatheca suggest that sperm are partitioned for short-or long-term use.Résumé : Le contenu des spermathèques de Crabes des neiges (Chionoecetes opilio) adultes a été examiné par microscopie photonique. Les spermathèques peuvent contenir de l'eau et trois types fondamentaux de matière amorphe et de spermatophores. L'eau est présente sous forme de grandes nappes ou de petites sphères. Les deux types majeurs de matière amorphe réagissent respectivement de manière positive et négative à l'acide périodique Schiff (APS) et sont respectivement uniquement ou principalement d'origine mâle. Le type mineur de matière amorphe est orangé et d'origine femelle et peut contenir des débris cellulaires foncés. Les spermatophores renferment des spermatides immatures, des spermatides matures ou des spermatozoïdes, ces derniers n'ayant jamais été signalés à ce jour, ou des formes intermédiaires entre ces trois types cellulaires. Les spermatides matures et les spermatozoïdes périphériques ont une orientation polarisée par rapport à la paroi du spermatophore et y sont rattachés. Généralement, la matière amorphe et les spermatophores sont topographiquement séparés par type dans une spermathèque et les spermatophores à spermatides immatures se retrouvent principalement dans de la matière amorphe réagissant négativement à l'APS. La différenciation des spermatides peut survenir dans le tractus reproducteur femelle autant que dans le vas deferens, mais la transformation des spermatides matures en spermatozoïdes n'a été observée que chez la femelle. La diversité et la répartition ordonnée des constituants de la semence à l'intérieur de la spermathèque suggèrent que le sperme est partitionné pour un usage immédiat ou futur. Sai...

Development of the male reproductive system in Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863 (Brachyura: Portunidae)

“…In C. ornatus the disappearance of acid polysaccharides coincides with the spermatophore maturation, which indicates that the spermatophore wall formation occurs only in the presence of acidic polysaccharides. Both the formation of spermatophores in the AVD and their accumulation in the MVD are widely reported for Brachyura (Johnson, 1980;Beninguer et al, 1988;Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Marie, 1999;Moriyasu et al, 2002;Castilho et al, 2008;Zara et al, 2012). The histochemical composition of the MVD lumen did not change between C. ornatus juvenile and adult males, but the volume was qualitatively larger in MAT males.…”

“…A key aspect of this portion is the large quantity of polysaccharides separating the spermatophores. The presence of these two types of compounds in the AVDd was also detected in both closely and distantly related species (Johnson, 1980;Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Marie, 1999;Garcia and Silva, 2006;Castilho et al, 2008;Erkan et al, 2009;Stewart et al, 2010;Zara et al, 2012). Portions of the epithelium of the AVD undergo changes in MAT males of C. ornatus, from columnar in the AVDp to squamous in the AVDd.…”

“…This crab supports an important smallscale fishery, as a bycatch of shrimp fishing (Severino-Rodrigues et al, 2001), and shows reproductive system. The male reproductive system has been studied in some brachyurans, including Portunidae (Cronin, 1947;Johnson, 1980;Stewart et al, 2010), Ucididae (Castilho et al, 2008), Eriphiidae (Erkan et al, 2009), Geryonidae (Hinsch and McKnight, 1988), Cancridae (Moriyasu et al, 2002), Grapsidae (Garcia and Silva, 2006), Epialtidae (Hinsch and Walker, 1974;Sal Moyano et al, 2009), Oregoneiidae (Beninger et al, 1988;Moriyasu and Benhalima, 1998;Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Marie, 1999), Inachidae (Diesel, 1989) and Majidae (Simeó et al, 2009(Simeó et al, , 2010.…”

Spermathecae of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus: a histological and histochemical view

“…Probably the energy characteristics of this secretion are associated with maintenance of the spermatophores which were stored for long periods in the spermathecae, similar to what occurs in C. opilio (Sainte-Marie & Sainte-Marie, 1999). Furthermore, it is supposed that the secretion aids in medium-and long-term hibernation of the spermatophores, and that changes in the chemical composition of this secretion induce the differentiation of immature spermatids and their transformation into spermatozoids within the spermathecae (Sainte-Marie & Sainte-Marie, 1999).…”

Influence of male size and mating history on sperm content of ejaculates of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus

“…Despite a wealth of studies on the limits and mechanisms of crustacean reproduction (Gray & Powell 1964, Waddy & Aiken 1990, Paul & Paul 1992, Stevens et al 1993, Sainte-Marie & Lovrich 1994, Prager 1996, Sainte-Marie & Sainte-Marie 1999, few have conclusively demonstrated sperm limitation. This is attributable both to the large number of factors that must be identified to determine if sperm limitation is occurring and to the difficulty of determining the underlying causes.…”