Reproductive Biology of Freshwater Prawns

Freshwater prawns display a rich diversity of reproductive strategies shaped by intricate morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations. Most species are gonochoric, with separate males and females undergoing sequential stages of gonadal development. Males often develop enlarged chelipeds for mate competition, while females exhibit ovarian maturation marked by changes in ovary colour and size. After mating, females carry fertilised eggs attached to the pleopods until hatching, releasing planktonic larvae that progress through several zoeal and post-larval stages before settling. Environmental factors such as temperature, photoperiod, salinity and food availability exert strong control over the timing of maturation, fecundity and larval survival, and many prawns demonstrate phenotypic plasticity in response to habitat variation. In some taxa, protandric or simultaneous hermaphroditism has evolved to maximise reproductive success under low mate densities. Insights into these processes underpin sustainable aquaculture practices by informing broodstock management, spawning induction and larval rearing protocols, and they guide conservation efforts where wild populations face habitat alteration and global change.

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Reproductive Biology of Freshwater Prawns publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in reproductive biology of freshwater prawns across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gonochoric: Having separate male and female individuals.

Protandric hermaphroditism: A life-history strategy where an individual changes from male to female.

Ovigerous female: A female carrying fertilised eggs under her abdomen on pleopods.

Fecundity: The number of eggs produced by a female in a single reproductive event.

Sexual maturity: The developmental stage at which an individual can produce viable gametes.

Pleopods: Abdominal appendages used by female crustaceans to hold and aerate eggs.

References

1. Size at onset of sexual maturity in Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) phenotypes: an integrative approach. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2020).
2. The influence of environmental variables in the reproductive performance of Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) (Caridea: Palaemonidae) females in a continental population. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2018).
3. Mating systems in caridean shrimp (Decapoda: Caridea) and their evolutionary consequences for sexual dimorphism and reproductive biology. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (2003).