Crustaceans Biology, Physiology, Reproduction and Development

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2024 | Viewed by 3202

Special Issue Editors

Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, University Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Interests: crustacean reproductive physiology; aquaculture; transcriptomics; sexual maturation
Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, University Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Interests: crustacean breeding; crustacean aquaculture; phylogenetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Crustaceans form an important niche that supports the livelihood of coastal communities and economic growth of many countries, in addition to being an important source of protein. However, most economically important crustacean species are yet to be fully incorporated into the aquaculture sector. Thus, understanding their general biology, physiology, reproduction and development is important in providing a baseline for their domestication.

We are pleased to invite you to submit reviews or original research articles in the field of crustacean biology, physiology, reproduction and development to this Special Issue.  

This Special Issue aims to enhance our understanding on the overall biology and physiology of crustaceans, deepen our knowledge on the reproduction and development processes of crustaceans and provide essential background understanding on the overall progress of crustacean’s biology and physiology.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Molting, growth and development;
  • Sex determination and differentiation;
  • Sexual maturation;
  • Gonadal development and spawning;
  • Culture optimization at all stages;
  • Impact of climate change on crustacean biology and/or physiology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Khor Waiho
Dr. Hanafiah Fazhan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • crustacean biology
  • crustacean physiology
  • crustacean reproduction
  • molting
  • climate change
  • culture optimization
  • sex determination and differentiation
  • sexual maturation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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9 pages, 1765 KiB  
Communication
Winter Epibiotic Community of the Red King Crab Paralithodes camtschaticus in Sayda Bay (Barents Sea)
by Alexander G. Dvoretsky and Vladimir G. Dvoretsky
Animals 2024, 14(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010100 - 27 Dec 2023
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Abstract
The species composition of epibiotic communities on red king crab was investigated in Sayda Bay, Russia, during November of 2015 and 2016. The community consisted of 12 species in total. Among epibionts, the barnacle Balanus crenatus was most prevalent (67.0%), while the amphipod [...] Read more.
The species composition of epibiotic communities on red king crab was investigated in Sayda Bay, Russia, during November of 2015 and 2016. The community consisted of 12 species in total. Among epibionts, the barnacle Balanus crenatus was most prevalent (67.0%), while the amphipod Ischyrocerus commensalis was the most frequent symbiont (77.3%). Infestation levels in May–June 2005 and September 2004 were higher, as a larger proportion of small crabs without fouling species were present during those seasons. The lower infestation intensities recorded for other common associated organisms during winter can be attributed to their increased mortality due to unfavorable temperature conditions. The localization of epibionts and symbionts were related to larval settlement patterns of attached species and feeding behavior of mobile species. Monthly growth increments for I. commensalis and B. crenatus were estimated at 2 mm in body length and 1.35 mm in basal diameter, respectively. Size-at-age data for epibionts can aid in the age determination of large male crabs that may skip an annual molt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crustaceans Biology, Physiology, Reproduction and Development)
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12 pages, 9575 KiB  
Communication
An Assessment of the Biological Significance of a Visual Clutch Staging Scheme for Ovigerous Female American Lobster (Homarus americanus)
by Marthe Larsen Haarr, Erin Hope Miller, Julien Gaudette and Rémy Rochette
Animals 2023, 13(24), 3856; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243856 - 15 Dec 2023
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Abstract
Qualitative visual clutch staging is a useful tool for rapidly and non-invasively assessing the developmental stage of American lobster, Homarus americanus, embryos. While such a scheme has been used in fisheries monitoring strategies in Canada since the 1980s, the biological relevance of [...] Read more.
Qualitative visual clutch staging is a useful tool for rapidly and non-invasively assessing the developmental stage of American lobster, Homarus americanus, embryos. While such a scheme has been used in fisheries monitoring strategies in Canada since the 1980s, the biological relevance of its four visually distinguishable stages is poorly understood. We conducted a laboratory experiment in which 10 ovigerous females were housed and the development of their embryos regularly assessed, both qualitatively and quantitatively, from November until hatching in July/August. We confirmed the biological relevance of the qualitative staging scheme by showing clear quantitative differences in the duration and rate of embryonic development of stages 2–4 (stage 1 was not assessed as the precise spawning date was unknown). Stage 2 represents winter–spring “dormancy”. Stage 3 represents a shorter period of rapid development preceding hatch. Stage 4 represents hatching. We also recommend some improvements to the qualitative staging scheme, specifically (1) adding criteria related to the portion of eggs that are occupied by yolk to increase the accuracy of staging, (2) slightly redefining stage 3 to ensure it encompasses the full period of rapid embryonic development pre-hatch, and (3) adding the presence of pre-zoeae as a key indicator of hatching to avoid the misclassification of clutches in the early stages of hatching or those that are completely spent but still have adhesive substance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crustaceans Biology, Physiology, Reproduction and Development)
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19 pages, 4660 KiB  
Article
Eriocheir sinensis feminization-1c (Fem-1c) and Its Predicted miRNAs Involved in Sexual Development and Regulation
by Dandan Zhu, Tianyi Feng, Nan Mo, Rui Han, Wentao Lu and Zhaoxia Cui
Animals 2023, 13(11), 1813; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111813 - 30 May 2023
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Abstract
Feminization-1c (Fem-1c) is important for sex differentiation in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. In our previous study, the basic molecular characteristics of the Fem-1c gene (EsFem-1c) in Eriocheir sinensis (Henri Milne Edwards, 1854) were cloned to determine the [...] Read more.
Feminization-1c (Fem-1c) is important for sex differentiation in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. In our previous study, the basic molecular characteristics of the Fem-1c gene (EsFem-1c) in Eriocheir sinensis (Henri Milne Edwards, 1854) were cloned to determine the relationship with sex differentiation. In this study, the genomic sequence of EsFem-1c contained five exons and four introns, with an exceptionally long 3′UTR sequence. The qRT-PCR results of EsFem-1c demonstrated lower tissue expression in the androgenic gland of the intersex crab than the normal male crab, implying that EsFem-1c plays a role in crab AG development. RNA interference experiments and morphological observations of juvenile and mature crabs indicated that EsFem-1c influences sexual development in E. sinensis. A dual-luciferase reporter assay disclosed that tcf-miR-315-5p effectively inhibits the translation of the EsFem-1c gene, influencing male development. An intriguing finding was that miRNA tcf-miR-307 could increase EsFem-1c expression by binding to the alternative splicing region with a length of 248 bp (ASR-248) in the 3′UTR sequence. The present research contributes to a better understanding of the molecular regulation mechanism of EsFem-1c and provides a resource for future studies of the miRNA-mediated regulation of sexual development and regulation in E. sinensis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crustaceans Biology, Physiology, Reproduction and Development)
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12 pages, 11082 KiB  
Brief Report
Comparison of Intestinal Bacteria of Procambarus clarkii Farmed in Various Rice Paddy Regions
by Chonghang Ding, Rui Jia, Yunfeng Wang, Yiran Hou, Liqiang Zhang, Bing Li and Jian Zhu
Animals 2024, 14(6), 935; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14060935 - 19 Mar 2024
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the regional differences of Procambarus clarkii through analyzing gut microbiota in specimens from different areas in China. The P. clarkii were collected from ten integrated rice–crayfish farming systems locating across ten major producing areas as [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to assess the regional differences of Procambarus clarkii through analyzing gut microbiota in specimens from different areas in China. The P. clarkii were collected from ten integrated rice–crayfish farming systems locating across ten major producing areas as follows: Feixi (FX), Suqian (SQ), Yangzhou (YZ), Xuyi (XY), Qianjiang (QJ), Jianli (JL), Honghu (HH), Yueyang (YY), Changsha (CS), and Nanxian (NX). The composition of gut microbiota was assessed by analyzing 16S rRNA sequences. The PCoA results indicated significant differences in microbial community composition among the ten areas (R = 0.999, p = 0.001). The intestinal microbial diversity in P. clarkii cultured in rice fields from YY and CS exceeded that of other regions, with NX displaying the least diversity. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria were most abundant in HH, while Firmicutes showed increased relative abundances in FX and SQ, contrasted by lower relative abundances of Bacteroidetes in these areas. At the genus level, Ralstonia, Amedibacillus, Bacteroides, Anaerorhabdus, and Dysgonomonas were the dominant bacteria. The bacterial co-occurrence networks analysis revealed that the community structures in locations FX, SQ, XY, HH, and NX were comparatively simplistic, whereas those in the YZ, QJ, JL, YY, and CS regions displayed as more complex. In summary, the diversity and relative abundance of intestinal bacteria exhibits regional variability. These findings can offer theoretical data for evaluating the quality of P. clarkii aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crustaceans Biology, Physiology, Reproduction and Development)
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