Influence of color and brightness on ontogenetic shelter preference by the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

Abstract

The giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879), is a species of great commercial importance. It is farmed under different conditions that translate to a great range of light environments, which impact their behavior and productivity. We present the first study employing both visual modeling and behavioral data to evaluate the ontogenetic changes in color preferences of juveniles and adults of M. rosenbergii. We offered ten shelters of different colors to juveniles and adults and registered their preferences. Our results show that shelter preference changed with ontogeny: juveniles chose shelters based on chromaticity (preference for blue), while adults based their decisions on brightness (preference for dark grey). This preference adults show for dark colors is probably associated with light avoidance behavior. We recommend providing blue shelters for juveniles and dark shelters for adults.