Fertilization success without anterior pleopods in Lysmata wurdemanni (Decapoda: Caridea), a protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite

Abstract

The modifications of the first two pleopods in male shrimp have long been considered to serve in insemination of the female. The role of pleopods 1 and 2 in mating in a protandric simultaneous hermaphroditic shrimp, Lysmata wurdemanni, were investigated. Results indicate that the modified endopod of pleopod 1 is not needed to transfer sperm in both male-phase (MP) and euhermaphrodite-phase (EP) shrimp. Absence of pleopod 2 does not affect the sperm-transfer success in both MP and EP shrimp. Removal of pleopod 1 also has no impact on fertilization in the MP shrimp; however, sperm transfer is affected by removal of pleopod 1 in some EP shrimp. Even when both pleopods 1 and 2 are completely ablated, about 20% of the shrimp can still fertilize successfully and another 20% partially successfully.