INTERSEXUALITY IN THE FRESHWATER CRAYFISH SAMASTACUS SPINIFRONS (PHILIPPI, 1882) (DECAPODA, PARASTACIDAE)
AbstractSamastacus spinifrons, a South American freshwater crayfish, has always been characterized as gonochoric in the literature. Yet, in 1989, a specimen with anomalous sexual characters was captured in the river Hueyusca. Since then, 13 other specimens showing such anomalous features have been collected in various rivers in the Osorno province, southern Chile. Anatomical dissections disclosed that 4 of them had testes; 4 others had ootestes and 5 had ovaries. Further, all the specimens had gonoducts and gonopores of both sexes, except in one of those with ovaries, wich had oviducts only. Morphometric analyses of abdomens of normal males and females, in comparison with those of intersexual specimens showed that the latter have abdomens with male characteristics. These conditions are all described, the frequency of the phenomenon is reported and a possible explanation for its occurrence is proposed. El camaron de rio de Sudamerica, Samastacus spinifrons, siempre ha sido caracterizado como gonocorico por la literatura. Sin embargo, en 1989 se capturo en el rio Hueyusca un especimen con caracteres sexuales anomalos. Desde entonces, se han colectados otros 13 especimenes con caracteres anomalos en varios rios de la provincia de Osorno, en el sur de Chile. Las disecciones anatomicas demostraron que 4 de ellos tenian testiculos, otros 4 tenian ovotestis, y 5 tenian ovarios. Ademas, todos tenian gonoductos y gonoporos de ambos sexos, excepto uno de aquellos con ovarios que solo tenia oviductos. Analisis morfometricos de los abdomenes de los machos y hembras normales, comparados con aquellos de especimenes intersexo demostraron que estos ultimos tienen un abdomen con caracteristicas masculinas. Se describen todas estas condiciones, se comunica la frecuencia de ocurrencia de este fenomeno y se propone una probable explicacion para el.