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Multiple paternity in the thalassinidean ghost shrimp, Callichirus islagrande (Crustacea: Decapoda: Callianassidae)

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Abstract

Adult ghost shrimp, Callichirus islagrande (Schmitt, 1935), are obligate inhabitants of burrow systems that they excavate deeply into beachfront sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Mating presumably occurs in these burrows but has never been directly observed in C. islagrande or any other thalassinidean. A variety of possible mating systems is suggested by those of other decapods, among which are examples of both internal and external sperm deposition, sperm competition among males, and male adaptations for paternity assurance. We used genetic markers to determine if clutches brooded by individual female ghost shrimp had been fertilized by multiple males. The two microsatellite loci we employed were sufficiently polymorphic to detect 95% of the occurrences of fertilization by two males. Among 40 ovigerous females collected from the Louisiana Isles Dernieres barrier island, eight (20%) carried egg masses for which more than two paternal alleles were detected, indicating fertilization by multiple males. In two cases of multiple paternity, alleles from one of the males were detected in only a portion of an egg mass. These observations suggest several, possibly novel characteristics of the mating system that can be further investigated.

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Acknowledgements

We extend thanks to R. Bourgeois for help with specimen collection. This study was funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (grant no. DE-FG02-97ER12220) and the National Science Foundation. This is contribution no. 101 from the UL Lafayette Laboratory for Crustacean Research. All experiments that were conducted comply with current laws of the United States of America.

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  1. A. L. Bilodeau

    Present address: Catfish Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 141 Experiment Station Road, Box 38, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA

    A. L. Bilodeau, D. L. Felder & J. E. Neigel

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  1. A. L. Bilodeau
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  2. D. L. Felder
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  3. J. E. Neigel
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Correspondence to A. L. Bilodeau.

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Communicated by P.W. Sammarco, Chauvin

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Bilodeau, A.L., Felder, D.L. & Neigel, J.E. Multiple paternity in the thalassinidean ghost shrimp, Callichirus islagrande (Crustacea: Decapoda: Callianassidae). Marine Biology 146, 381–385 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1444-1

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