External Morphology and Ultrastructure of Tegumental Glands of Aegla platensis (Crustacea, Anomura, Aeglidae) Pleopods: Might They Play A Role in Egg Attachment?

Authors

  • Tainã Gonçalves Loureiro Marine Lab, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • Mauricio Pereira Almerão UNILASALLE, Canoas, Brazil
  • Maria Cristina Faccioni-Heuser Department of Morphological Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazi
  • Georgina Bond-Buckup Laboratory of Carcinology, Department of Zoology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
  • Paula Beatriz de Araujo Laboratory of Carcinology, Department of Zoology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v1i2.806

Abstract

Egg incubation on the female abdomen is the parental care behavior observed in aeglids, in which eggs are kept adhered to maternal pleopods and maintained, cleaned and aerated. In A. platensis, egg attachment occurs with the aid of pleopodal setae, which are twisted around their axis in the distal region, forming the funiculus, and pleopodal glands, which are responsible for the production of the adhesive substance that seems to be involved in egg fixation to pleopodal setae. Those glands are acini formed by secretory cells arranged concentrically around a central duct, giving them a rosette appearance. Two types of secretory cells were observed, those that produce electron-lucid vesicles and those having electron-dense ones. Both kinds of vesicles are released in a duct whose opening pore is located on the pleopodal surface and constitute the adhesive substance that coats eggs and pleopodal setae, ensuring egg fixation to the female body and maternal care maintenance. This study investigates the internal and external morphology of Aegla platensis pleopods, to understand the egg attachment process and identify the structures involved in this phenomenon. Three microscopy techniques are used: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and optical microscopy (OM).

Keywords:

Egg incubation; Pleopodal setae; Funiculus; Electron microscopy; Optical microscopy

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Loureiro, T. G., Pereira Almerão, M., Faccioni-Heuser, M. C., Bond-Buckup, G., & de Araujo, P. B. (2019). External Morphology and Ultrastructure of Tegumental Glands of Aegla platensis (Crustacea, Anomura, Aeglidae) Pleopods: Might They Play A Role in Egg Attachment?. Research in Ecology, 1(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v1i2.806

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Vol. 1 , Iss. 2 (December 2019)

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