Determination of biological characteristics of Tunisian Artemia salina populations

Abstract

In this study, Artemia salina cysts collected from four Tunisian hypersaline environments were characterized using biometrical, biological and biochemical descriptors. Biometrical analysis revealed that the mean diameter value ranged from 220. 25 to 237. 76 μm, for the untreated cysts, from 199 to 224. 52 μm for decapsulated cysts and that the chorion thickness ranged from 6. 62 to 10. 58 μm. 48 h after hatching, Artemia from Sebkha El Meleh, Sebha Moknine, Sfax saltworks and Sahline saltworks presented a hatching percentage of 52. 7%, 53. 75%, 70. 16% and 43. 74%, respectively. The length of the freshly hatched instar I nauplii varied from 429 to 449. 34 μm. The fatty acids profile showed that the n-3 series was strongly dominant in the samples collected from Sebkha Moknine and Sfax saltworks, representing a percentage ranging from 17. 92% to 22. 45% of the total fatty acids. The data collected in this study can be useful to add new information on biological and biochemical characterization of Artemia strains present in Tunisia. On the basis of fatty acid profile, the Artemia strains collected from Sahline saltworks, Sfax saltworks and Sebkha El Meleh can be as classified as "marine" type, and that from Sebha of Moknine as "freshwater" type. © 2011 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Wien.