Abstract
The sexual system of two caridean shrimps (Processa riveroiandP. bermudensis) was investigated, stimulated by reports of male to female sex change (protandry) inProcessa edulisfrom European waters. Shrimps used in the study were obtained from monthly samples taken from March 1982 to February 1983 in aThalassia–Syringodiumseagrass meadow in Puerto Rico. Observations on size, sex, and reproductive condition were used to construct monthly size–frequency distributions and sex-ratios by size-class (SC). Males were smaller than reproductive females, but there was extensive overlap in size between males and immature females. A sex-ratio (SR) analysis by SC of the overall year-long population sample showed an equal or female-biased SR in the smallest SC, a male-biased SR in 1–3 intermediate SC, with larger SC dominated by females incubating embryos. Such a population structure might result from slower growth in males than females and higher mortality in larger males. Observations on and allometric analysis of sexual characters failed to identify transitional individuals (sex-changers) intermediate in reproductive morphology between males and females. Thus, a hypothesis of protandry is rejected, and that of gonochory (separate sexes) is accepted in these twoProcessaspecies, revealing possible variation in sexual systems amongProcessaspecies.
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