Mating takes place between hard-shelled males
and ripe-soft shelled females (Fig. 2) which have
completed their pre-mating moult. After pre-mating
moult, the freshly moulted females were found
weak and sluggish and search for shelter to protect
themselves from predators. Pillay (1993)
recorded that semen is deposited in a gelatinous
mass on the underside of the thoracic region of
the female, between the walking legs. Within a
few hours, the female extrudes eggs through the
gonopore and the eggs are fertilized by the semen
Figure 1 Exoskeleton of the pre-mating moult of
female Macrobrachium rosenbergii.
Figure 2 Mating process between male and female of
Macrobrachium rosenbergii.attached to the abdomen and transferred to a
brood chamber located under the abdomen
between the pleopods. The fertilized eggs become
attached to each other and the setae of the first
four pleopods by a cementing substance, which
hardens into an attachment membrane. The vigorous
movements of the pleopods keep the eggs well
aerated.
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