Abstract
The reproductive aspects of populations are important determinants of their ability to maintain themselves throughout time. In the case of amphipods from the genus Hyalella Smith, 1874, the reproductive period is easily determined by the presence of ovigerous females and pre-copula pairs in the population. This study evaluated the fecundity, pairing patterns and reproduction period of Hyalella carstica Bastos-Pereira and Bueno, 2012 in a karst environment in the West of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Monthly, from April, 2010 to April, 2011, amphipods were sampled using a hand net with 15 cm diameter and 250 µm mesh size. In the laboratory, animals were sexed and measured, and the ovigerous state of females was evaluated. Couples in pre-copula and ovigerous females were found throughout the year, with the exception of the dry months (September−November). During drought, the stream's superficial water dried out, and only a few refuges for the population remained. Although couples were found in all months with a water flow, a higher number of unpaired males and females was found after the dry season. In all months, ovigerous females were more abundant than non-ovigerous, and the relationship between head length and the number of eggs in the marsupium was positive. Most eggs were in the first developmental stage, although all other stages were found before the dry season. Considering the frequency of pre-copula pairs, as well as ovigerous females, the reproduction in this H. carstica population seems to be continuous throughout the year, without a distinct peak.
Highlights
The reproductive aspects of populations are important determinants of their ability to maintain themselves throughout time
Hyalella carstica Bastos-Pereira and Bueno, 2012 is a newly described species, and it is present in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil, a region with peculiar characteristics due to an intense environmental degradation caused by mining (Bastos-Pereira and Torres et al.: Reproductive aspects of Hyalella carstica (Amphipoda)
Pairing In this Hyalella carstica population, couples in precopula were found throughout all the year, except in April, 2010
Summary
The reproductive aspects of populations are important determinants of their ability to maintain themselves throughout time. In the case of amphipods from the genus Hyalella Smith, 1874, the reproductive period is determined by the presence of ovigerous females and pre-copula pairs in the population. This study evaluated the fecundity, pairing patterns and reproduction period of Hyalella carstica Bastos-Pereira and Bueno, 2012 in a karst environment in the West of Minas Gerais, Brazil. During pre-copula, days before the females’ molt, the males grab the females using their gnathopods, and the couple remains swimming together until the copula itself occurs (Strong, 1973) This particular behavior happens due to the fact that females only copulate when they are “soft”, i.e., soon after they molted and the new exoskeleton is not sclerotized yet (Strong, 1973; Conlan, 1991). We studied the reproductive ecology of H. carstica in a natural environment, addressing its fecundity, pairing patterns and reproductive period throughout the year
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