PEREZ FARFANTE: AMERICAN SOLENOCERII) SHRIMPS 



margin bladelike, to deeply excavated on the 

 median portion, and with the anterior margin 

 elevated in a strong ridge; in addition, this margin 

 ranges from bearing a minute anteromedian spine 

 to being concave. Furthermore, the anterolateral 

 protuberances of sternite XIII may be low or 

 rather strongly raised. 



Spermatophore. -Compound spermatophore con- 

 sisting of slender, laterally compressed geminate 

 body continuous with broad anterior lobes, bear- 

 ing lateral wings, and produced posterolateral^ 

 in relatively narrow flanges (Figure 62). 



Thick opaque ventral wall and lateral wall of 

 each spermatophore (Figure 63A) extending 

 anteriorly forming ventral portion of anterior 

 lobe; lateral wall, opaque anteriorly, translucent 

 posteriorly, bearing fleshy wing; dorsomesial wall 

 (Figure 63B) mostly translucent but thickened 

 mesially, continuous with dorsomesial portion of 

 anterior lobe, and extending posteromesially 

 beyond fundus of sac, there joining flange, and 

 giving rise to pocketlike caudal projection. Ante- 

 rior lobe forming obliquely truncate collar opening 

 laterally and through posterior slit, with ventro- 

 lateral surface subrectangular, and dorsomesial 

 surface elongate trapezoidal, broadest laterally. 

 Wing flexible (lacking heavily sclerotized support- 

 ing structures), bearing rounded lobe anteriorly. 

 Flange extending from about midlength of sac 

 around posterolateral margin, bearing anteriorly 

 cornified, reniform projection, and produced lat- 

 erally in roughly semicircular flap. Spermato- 

 phore supported by strong C-shaped armature, its 

 mesial part fused to dorsomesial wall and its 

 anterior arm extending across and supporting 

 ventral wall, with lateral extremity forked: ante- 

 rior branch forming foliaceous process, directed 

 dorsally, facing posterior slit of anterior lobe; 

 posterior branch spirally twisted and located just 

 cephalic to reniform projection of flange. Dorsal 

 plate elongate ovate, extending from base of wing 

 to posterior margin of flange. 



Compound spermatophore attached to female 

 with anterior lobes on sternite XII, their elongate 

 lateral openings lying close to gonopores; angles 

 formed by anterior lobes and wings embracing 

 posterior corners of coxal plates of third pereopods; 

 wings extending laterally, attached to sternite 

 XIII, pressing against marginal ridge of XII. Pos- 

 terior part of geminate body affixed by dorsal 

 plates to shieldlike posterior plate of sternite XIV, 

 elevated (ventrally) well above level of anterior 



FIGURE 62. — Mesopenaeus tropicalis. Compound spermatophore 

 attached to female, 5 19.5 mm cl. off Gulf Beach, Fla. (setae 

 omitted). 



lobes, thus geminate body directed antero- 

 dorsally. Posterior parts of flanges sloping 

 posterodorsally, lateral parts attached to sternite 

 XIV, and reniform projections lying near coxae of 

 fourth pereopods. Finally, foliaceous processes 

 meeting on middorsal line, whereas spirally 

 turned branches of C-shaped armature (diverging 

 from bases of foliaceous processes) projecting 

 laterally. 



I have observed sperm masses protruding from 

 the sperm sacs into the cavity of the respective 

 anterior lobe, from which the sperm must be dis- 

 persed into the surrounding water adjacent to 

 the female gonopores. A complete compound sper- 

 matophore detached by me from an impregnated 

 female was found to lack sperm masses, suggest- 

 ing that the sperm had been freed while the intact 

 spermatophore was still anchored to the animal; 

 furthermore, there was no trace of such masses on 



339 



