Abstract

This study has been conducted to investigate the mating behavior, time sequence of mating and time limit with which female can fulfill spawning and brooding after pre-spawning molting in the giant fresh-water prawn, macrobrachium rosenbergii reared in the laboratory. the results obtained were summarized as follows. Mating happened spontaneously as the following sequences: courting gesture, seizure of female by male, mounting, turning of female, copulation. The entire mating lated approximately seven minutes. The endopodite of 2nd pleopod of male bore the appendix masculins whcih are male's secondary sex characteristic. cinciulli was formed at the distal portion of appendix interna which are on the upper portion of appendix masculins and helped stabilizing the connection of each side of 2nd pleopod during mating. After the connection of each side of 2nd plepod was fixed on the posterior portion of the thoracic sternum in female, a gelatinous spermatophore that emitted at the basipodite of 5th pereiopod during courting gesture was deposited on the ventral groove of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th pereiopod. time limit which female can fulfill copulation and brooding was from 3 hours to 15 hours after pre-spawning molting.

Keywords

• Macrobrachium rosenbergii;
• Mating behavior