Gonadogenesis and color characteristics of ovaries in Japanese mitten crab Eriocheir japonicus

The gonadogenesis was studied in adult and juvenile females of Japanese mitten crab Eriocheir japonicus (Crustacea: Decapoda, Grapsida) inhabiting the rivers of the Maritime Territory. The morphometric parameters of oocytes at different stages of maturity were determined using the methods of computer morphometry and color characteristics were evaluated using the Munsell Book of Color. As a result, a color table was compiled for the ovaries from the beginning of development to gonad maturity, which included light yellow (sandy), yellow, beige, light purple, light brown, dark purple, brown (chocolate), and dark brown (brown). The regular changes in the ovary color of E. japonicus proved to closely correlate with the gonadogenesis, namely, with the composition of cells at each stage of gonad maturity.