English abstract
The scalloped spiny lobster, Panulirus homarus, is among the most valuable and highly demanded seafoods. The limited supply from the wild and the increase in the associated price have required the use of aquaculture as viable option. However, until now, aquaculture of the scalloped spiny lobster is limited to the on-growing of wild caught juveniles. This is due to the long planktonic period and delicate nature of the larvae which includes many molts. The main objective of this study was to investigate the larval development, feeding and the fatty acid profile of the scalloped spiny lobster larvae.
The larval development was documented using an individually reared culture technique, in which each of the larvae were fed Artemia salina enriched with Docosahexaenoic acid, at a constant temperature of 28°C. The larvae were successfully reared up to stage 5 of larval development over 93 days of culture. The feeding strategy was analyzed using starvation experiments (Point-of-No-Return and Point of Reserve Saturation) and a test on the viability of combination feeding (live Artemia vs. inert pellets) in larval rearing. Both starvation experiments indicated that as the days of starvation increases, the degree of survivorship in the larvae decreases. The feeding experiment showed that a combined diet of both Artemia and microdiet significantly increased the larval survival period, compared to the larvae fed only Artemia or microdiet. The fatty acid profile of the larvae was investigated using fatty acid methyl ester analysis by preparing larval samples that were injected to Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Fatty acid composition differed significantly between early stage, mid-stage, and older stage of larval development, as shown by the presence of three clusters in the analyses results.
The results highlight the importance of first and continuous feeding during the culture of the scalloped spiny lobster larvae. Additionally, feeding a combined diet of both Artemia and microdiet appears necessary for the successful larviculture of P. homarus, with the larvae reaching stage five of development. Also, the fatty acid profile clearly indicates that a different feeding regime is needed for different stages of larval development. These findings increase our knowledge and highlight important aspects of early larval development and feeding and provides a significant contribution to the development of scalloped spiny lobster aquaculture.
