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Mating system and reproductive performance in the isopod Parabopyrella lata, a parasitic castrator of the ‘peppermint’ shrimp Lysmata boggessi

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Abstract

Knowledge of marine host–parasite relationships has been increasing, but little is known about the reproductive strategies of the parasites. Theoretically, parasitic crustaceans inhabiting relatively small and scarce hosts should be monogamous. Parasites are also expected to exhibit higher reproductive performance (RP) than their free-living relatives, a strategy thought to have evolved to increase host-to-host transmission, or to be the outcome of living in a ‘stable, nutrient-rich environment’. Here, the parasitic isopod Parabopyrella lata and its shrimp host Lysmata boggessi were used to test for monogamy and augmented RP, and to examine whether or not P. lata castrates its host. Prevalence, population distribution, and reproductive performance were examined in P. lata over 1 year (2012–2013) off Homosassa Springs, Florida USA (28.8037° N, 82.5761° W). Prevalence of P. lata on L. boggessi was greater during the warmer months of the year and infested shrimps were almost exclusively males. P. lata lives in male–female pairs within the gill chamber of infested shrimps more frequently than expected by chance alone. The sizes of paired males and females were tightly and positively correlated with each other and with host size. Average fecundity (3660 ± 1146 eggs female−1) and reproductive output (61 ± 19%) in P. lata, as with other bopyrid parasites, was much greater than those reported for free-living isopods. This evidence supports the hypotheses that parasites such as P. lata are adapted to be monogamous, display augmented RP, and reproductively castrate their host.

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Acknowledgements

Drs. Judy Grassle and Jason D. Williams provided numerous comments that improved previous versions of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    J. Antonio Baeza, Sarah Steedman, Sanjeevi Prakash & Xiaomi Liu

  2. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, 701 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, FL, 34949, USA

    J. Antonio Baeza

  3. Departamento de Biología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile

    J. Antonio Baeza

  4. Centre for Climate Change Studies, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 119, India

    Sanjeevi Prakash

  5. Departamento de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

    Jose Luis Bortolini

  6. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32653, USA

    Michael Dickson & Donald C. Behringer

  7. Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA

    Michael Dickson & Donald C. Behringer

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Baeza, J.A., Steedman, S., Prakash, S. et al. Mating system and reproductive performance in the isopod Parabopyrella lata, a parasitic castrator of the ‘peppermint’ shrimp Lysmata boggessi. Mar Biol 165, 41 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3297-z

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