Protogynous hermaphroditism in Crustacea: a new example from Tanaidacea

Abstract

Hermaphroditism has been widely reported in the Crustacea, but protogyny, in which females change to males, is apparently rare and restricted to the peracarid orders Isopoda and Tanaidacea. In the latter, protogyny has been demonstrated in only seven species representing six genera by rearing experiments and indicated for several other genera and species through morphology. Here, we show through rearing experiment and histological observations, protogynous hermaphroditism in the tanaidacean species Nesotanais sp. aff. ryukyuensis Kakui, Kajihara and Mawatari, 2010. Our rearing experiment and size distribution data for wild individuals showed that females can change sex at various sizes (= ages). We found one individual identified externally as a female containing both ovaries and testes, indicating that overt female individuals undergo a short transitional phase as simultaneous hermaphrodites before the sex-change molt. We discuss the relationship among the wide size distribution of sex-changing females, the short life span of males, and the tube-dwelling mode of life.