Nutritional effects of Artemia from different locations on larval development of crabs

Abstract

1. Four crabs, Rhithropanopeus harrisii, Hexapanopeus angustifrons, Libinia emarginata and Callinectes sapidus, were reared from the egg to the first crab stage on freshly hatched Artemia salina nauplii from two sources: salt pools in California, and the Great Salt Lake in Utah. All larvae showed better survival on California nauplii than on Utah nauplii. The crab larvae fed on California nauplii showed normal development, whereas all R. harrisii megalopa and some H. angustifrons showed a particular set of abnormalities. 2. There is evidence that the difference in normality and survival of developmental stages of the four species of crabs may be due to a difference in the quantity of DDT in Artemia nauplii from California and from Utah. There was approximately three times as much DDT in Artemia nauplii from Utah as in the nauplii from California. The nature of the abnormalities which appeared in larvae fed on Utah nauplii resembled DDT poisoning which has been reported in juvenile and adult crabs. © 1970 Biologischen Anstalt Helgoland.