The Origin, Development, and Nature of the Spermatophoric Mass of 
the Spiny Lobster, Panulirus penicillatus (Oliver)^ 
Donald C. Matthews^ 
INTRODUCTION 
Although many thorough investigations of 
crustacean spermatozoa have been made, few 
have included more than desultory accounts 
of the spermatophores. The material pre- 
sented in this paper not only extends our 
knowledge of the biology of the spiny lob- 
ster Panulirus penicillatus (Oliver) through an 
account of the origin, development, and 
nature of its spermatophoric mass, but also 
suggests the method by which its spermato- 
zoa are liberated. 
Early cursory observations on crustacean 
spermatophores by Cavolini, Kolliker, and 
Schwammerdam, cited in Herrick (1895: 
160), apparently failed to stimulate further 
interest in this direction, but possibly served 
to incite such workers as Grobben (1878), 
Hermann (1890), Sabatier (1893), Brandes 
(1897), Labbe (1903), and Koltzolf (1906) to 
investigate more thoroughly the nature of 
decapod spermatozoa. These early works il- 
lustrate the interest in the spectacular deca- 
pod spermatozoa to the neglect of the sper- 
matophores. 
With the exception of the early work of 
Herrick {op. cit.) on the reproductive system 
of the American lobster {Homarus americanus) , 
investigations of the spermatophores of 
macrurans were singularly lacking until 
Dahlgren and Kepner (1908) attributed to 
the lobster and the crayfish a fluid which, 
secreted by the walls of their sperm ducts, 
not only served as a vehicle to carry the mass 
of sperm but also formed a semifluid covering 
around them. Dahlgren and Kepner further 
■ ■ — w 
^ Contribution No. 10, Hawaii Marine Laboratory. 
2 Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii. 
Manuscript received December 18, 1950. 
reported that the spermatophore attached it- 
self to a receiving plate on the female, be- 
came hard, and preserved the life of the 
spermatozoa for months or even years. No 
reference is made however to the species of 
lobster and crayfish which produced these 
spermatophores. 
No particular differentiation between the 
non-pedunculate spermatophores of the Ma- 
crura and the more bizarre pedunculate 
spermatophores of the Anomura and Brachy- 
ura was noted in the literature until Caiman’s 
treatise in 1909- Since that .time considerable 
research has ensued on the pedunculate type, 
and, culminating in the studies of Mouchet 
(1930-31), the origin and development of 
these have become rather well known. 
Comparatively little research has been ac- 
complished on the non-pedunculate sperma- 
tophore of the Macrura. Allen (1916) first 
described for a spiny lobster, Panulirus inter- 
ruptus, a spermatophore composed of a putty- 
like mass of sperm material. This mass, 
placed on the ventral surface of the female’s 
thorax, contained contorted tubular cavities 
filled with spermatozoa. He further explained 
that this mass was at first white and soft but 
later turned black and became hard, re- 
sembling whalebone. Allen’s account, as well 
as Fasten’s (1917), on the consistency and 
color change in the spermatophoric mass of 
Panulirus interruptus is in accord with the 
findings of this report, but their observations 
on the contorted tubular cavities were not 
extensive and little consideration was given 
to the origin or the development of the mass. 
Insofar as can be ascertained, no published 
work on the origin, development, and nature 
of the spermatophoric mass of P. penicillatus 
has been reported. 
C 359} 
