Caracteres sexuais secundários como indicadores de maturidade em duas espécies de caranguejos ermitões (Clibanarius sclopetarius e Clibanarius symmetricus)

Abstract

Clibanarius sclopetarius and Clibanarius symmetricus are two species of hermit crab morphologically very similar, which present sexual dimorphism based on the position of the gonopore, which corresponds to a primary sexual character of these species. Sexual dimorphism is characterized by morphological differences between the sexes, which are related to sexual selection favoring the distinction between body shapes and sizes. Recognizing morphological characters that indicate maturity is very important in understanding the reproductive process as a whole. It was analyzed 120 animals of these two species, which were collected in three estuaries distributed along the coast and their morphological characteristics were analyzed based on the difference of coloration of the gonads at different levels of maturation, analysis of female pleopods and analysis of the chelipods in males, being recognized as the main secondary sexual characters in these species. Data analysis revealed the existence of a relationship between the body size of the individuals and their stage of maturation of the gonad, the pleopods were clearly differentiated in the females, due to their reproductive functionality and there was a strong tendency for the heteroquelia in the males due to high values of correlation between the size of the chelipods and the size of the animals.