SEROLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS OF SOME PALINURAN AND ASTACURAN CRUSTANCEA

¹ Department of Zoology and Bureau of Biological Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

From the serological studies of the palinuran and astacuran Crustacea it is concluded that:

1. Sera of species within a genus react more strongly with an antiserum made against one of them than with any other antiserum.

2. Sera of different species within the same genus may show different degrees of relationship to an antiserum made against the serum of one member of that genus.

3. The sera of representatives of different genera in the same family show different degrees of relationship to one another.

4. The sera of species within a family react to a greater extent with antisera made against the sera of members of that family than with any other antisera.

5. Panulirus argus, Panulirus interruptus, and Panulirus penicillatus correspond almost exactly with one another serologically, and on the basis of the serological evidence presented, may be considered the same, or closely related species. This is in spite of their wide separation geographically.

6. Euastacus elongatus, Euastacus nobilis, and Euastacus armatus, serologically, closely correspond with one another. Probably they are the same, or closely related, species.

7. In the genus Homarus, the two species H. americanus and H. vulgaris closely correspond with each other, and probably are the same, or closely related species.

8. Differences in per cent of serological relationship among crustacean sera tested with the same antiserum are attributable to differences in their hemocyanins.

9. Twenty-minute reaction times for precipitin reactions establish significant orders of relationship among animal sera. Twenty-four hours reaction time does not alter the order of relationship from that established at twenty minutes despite considerable increases in amounts of reaction recorded.

10. Differences detectable among antigens of high correspondence, after a twenty-minute reaction time, may disappear after a reaction time of twenty-four hours.