Change of external sexual characteristics during consecutive moults in Crangon crangon L

Abstract

Adult males of the North Sea shrimp, Crangon crangon, were maintained for 8 months in the laboratory under natural temperature and light cycles. Successive moults were analysed for morphological changes. Out of the 70 shrimps, one male performed morphological sex reversal by reducing the male characteristics and developing female characteristics. The morphological changes including the loss of the appendix masculina appeared within a single moult cycle. This observation proves that C. crangon males may be capable of changing sex. The low number of sex reversals indicates that C. crangon is a facultative rather than an obligate protandric hermaphrodite. © Springer-Verlag and AWI 2005.