Male Reproductive System of Blue Swimming Crab, Portunus pelagicus(Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract

The male reproductive system of Portunus pelagicus is bilaterally symmetrical creamy to whitish in colour, composed of a pair of testes, a pair of vas deferentia and a pair of ejaculatory ducts internally and a pair of penes, pair of secondary pleopods and the pair of primary pleopods externally as accessory reproductive organs, present on the inner side of the abdominal flab. Vas deferentia consisted of three parts such as, Anterior (AVD), Median (MVD) and Posterior (PVD). The male gonad has different stages which is includes immature, maturing and matured. The gonadosomatic index of the male crab is increased from immature crabs to matured crabs (0.66±0.08 to 1.23±0.06). Fifty percent of the male crabs have attained sexual maturity when they reached the size of 10.6-11.0 cm carapace width.