Title: | Hard-shell mating in Neohelice granulata: the role of ecdysone in female receptivity and mate attraction |
Author(s): | Sal Moyano MP; Luppi T; Medesani DA; McLay CL; Rodriguez EM; |
Address: | "Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Funes 3350, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina. salmoyan@mdp.edu.ar. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Funes 3350, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina. Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, FCEN University of Buenos Aires, Institute of Biodiversity, Experimental and Applied Biology (IBBEA), CONICET-UBA. Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, PB 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand" |
Journal Title: | J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00359-017-1159-7 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1351 (Electronic) 0340-7594 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Most brachyuran females become receptive during the intermolt period, a condition considered 'derived'. However, as far as we know, studies testing the existence and function of pheromones in decapods are based on species which have mating linked to molting, a condition considered as 'ancestral'. For the first time, we studied some physiological and morphological processes involved in Neohelice granulata intermolt female crabs becoming receptive and potentially attracting males. We found that receptive females have mobile vulvae opercula due to a softening process of the cuticle hinge which showed lower calcium levels compared to the hinge of unreceptive females. Local softening of the hinge was stimulated by a low concentration of ecdysone during the intermolt period. A putative pheromone liberated by receptive females to attract males is presumed to be released through the mobile vulvae and not through the urine" |
Keywords: | "Animal Shells/*physiology Animals Brachyura/*physiology Ecdysone/*physiology Female Male Molting/*physiology Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology Cuticle softening Ecdysteroids Hard-shell mating Pheromones Vulvae;" |
Notes: | "MedlineSal Moyano, Maria P Luppi, Tomas Medesani, Daniel A McLay, Colin L Rodriguez, Enrique M eng Germany 2017/03/03 J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2017 Mar; 203(3):233-243. doi: 10.1007/s00359-017-1159-7. Epub 2017 Mar 1" |