Abstract
This study was carried out to gather quantitative data on the moult cycle and stages in laboratory-raised shrimp, kept at a constant temperature of 27°C. The stages of the moult cycle were differentiated and characterised by microscopic analysis of cuticle, epidermis and moulting processes in the uropods of P. vannamei and P. monodon. Five major moult stages were defined: early- and late post-moult (A and B), inter-moult (C) and early- and late pre-moult (D1 and D2). Total moult cycle duration was around 5 and 6.5 days for 2-g P. vannamei and P. monodon and 11 and 12 days for 15-g P. vannamei and P. monodon, respectively. Overall, the relative duration of the moult stages within the cycle was 5–10% for A, 9–16% for B, 12–20% for C, 28–36% for D1 and 30–38% for D2 stage. It was concluded from this study that the pre-moult stages comprised the dominant phase of the cycle and that P. monodon moulted at a significantly slower rate than P. vannamei, under the given conditions. Without the use of invasive techniques, the moult process was charted in laboratory-raised shrimp in Europe, providing a tool for taking into account this important physiological factor in further experiments.
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Acknowledgments
The first author was supported by a scholarship from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen, Belgium), the second author by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal). We thank the following people: Prof. Dr. Philippe Compère and Prof. Dr. Godelieve Criel for their valuable help in setting up the research, Dr. David Solomon for kindly providing the elastomer material and Karen Van Nieuwenhuyse and Yonas Zerayohannes Redae for their excellent technical assistance.
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Corteel, M., Dantas-Lima, J.J., Wille, M. et al. Moult cycle of laboratory-raised Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei and P. monodon . Aquacult Int 20, 13–18 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-011-9437-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-011-9437-9