The
distribution of individuals in length classes by month showed that representatives of smaller classes occurred
throughout almost the entire study period. This indicates a constant input of individuals into the population,
which corroborates the characterization of the reproductive period as being continuous, and explains the large
numbers of ovigerous females found each month. The 2nd abdominal segment is proportionally larger in
females than in males, in width, height, and pleural length: these female secondary characteristics are related to
an increased incubation area for eggs