Crustacean Reproduction

In the past, our lab has studied the reproductive biology of the American lobster, Homarus americanus and the marine shrimp, Penaeus. We analyzed various aspects of lobster and shrimp reproduction including the reproductive tracts of males and females, the acrosome reaction of the lobster’s unusual sperm, fertilization, the cortical reaction, formation of egg coats, and egg attachment to the pleopods. We also developed methods for sperm banking and artificial insemination to facilitate aquaculture of lobsters.