Journal
JOURNAL OF CRUSTACEAN BIOLOGY
Volume 29, Issue 1, Pages 62-69Publisher
CRUSTACEAN SOC
DOI: 10.1651/08-2989.1
Keywords
breeding; fertilization; Halicarcinus cookii; mating; reproduction; sperm; sterile males
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Funding
- Edward Percival Field Station
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Halicarcinus cookii is a small intertidal New Zealand crab that has high levels of ovigerous females in all months. Continuous breeding requires continuous mating. Mating is not linked to moulting because the pubertal moult is terminal. Spermathecal fullness is modelled in terns of the difference between the rates of copulation and rates of brood production. It is estimated that females can till their spermathecae with sperm after 3-4 copulations (depending on male size) and that approximately 15% of art ejaculate is used to fertilize each brood. Given the fact that females have multiple partners we asked the question: is it worthwhile for males to spend any tune mate guarding? Using sterile males we showed that the majority of each brood is sired by the last male to mate. In females prevented from mating again. more of each successive brood is likely to be sited by earlier males who had mated with the female. This suggests that over periods exceeding one brood cycle (i.e., months) sperm slowly becomes mixed. Therefore. it is worthwhile for male H. cookii to invest time in guarding female partners.
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