Supershrimp ovary

[Mustafa]

Since Cotigirl requested a picture of a pale red Supershrimp with eggs in its ovary, I am posting a picture of such a shrimp. I had to scare the shrimp by reaching into their tanks for them to become pale enough for the ovary with eggs to be visible. I tried taking pictures of the individual eggs, but that proved very difficult and the pictures did not turn out very sharp. When viewing this picture, keep in mind that the eggs in the ovary are *not* round and much smaller than the eggs you would observe on an ovigerous female. Eggs in shrimp ovaries are always compressed and more elongate. When they finally come out they become larger and round...they pretty much "puff up."

Here is the pic:

[Harry]

I was also interested in such a photo, as I was not sure if any of my females had eggs. I'm assuming those eggs become present at a certain point of the females maturity, whether they have been fertilized or not. And only upon fertilization, do they transfer to the abdomen, correct?

[Mustafa]

They eventually get transferred to her pleiopods. If they are fertilized, she'll carry them around. If not, she'll eventually drop them. Fertilization takes place outside the ovary before the eggs are transferred to the pleiopods. As they get transferred they pass by (and through) a mass of sperm that the male left behind at the genital opening of the female during mating.