Abstract

One of the most commonly cited problems regarding age determination in crustaceans is the absence of any calcified structures containing growth rings. The question addressed by this study is: do the zygocardic, prepyloric and pyloric ossicles of the gastric mill of decapod crustaceans contain any record of growth? Answering this question is a rudimentary step to broaden the current understanding of calcified structures in reference to ageing crustaceans. Five species of decapod crustaceans are selected for cross section analysis. Transverse cross sections of the gastric ossicles from all species examined revealed the presence of alternating translucent and opaque growth rings, similar in appearance to those that are routinely examined in fish otoliths. Elucidation of the gastric ossicle growth record may present the opportunity to reduce the current uncertainties in modelling non-uniform growth in crustaceans, and provide greater compatibility across currently applied methods of age determination. Keywords:ageing crustaceans; calcified structures; decapod crustaceans; gastric mill; pyloric ossicles; zygocardic ossicles

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