Effects of salinity and photoperiod on the burying behavior of brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives

Abstract

The burying behavior of Penaeus aztecus was investigated with respect to both short-term and long-term exposures to combinations of four salinities (8.5, 17.0 and 25.5 and 34.0 ‰) and three photoperiods (total darkness, total light or partial light). Exposure either to total dark or total light regimes disturbed the diurnal rhythm and altered the normal body color of the shrimp. However, long-term exposures did not change the salinity-related burying responses. In response to light stimulii, greater numbers of shrimp always buried in lower (8.5 and 17.0‰) than in higher salinities, particularly 34.0‰. On the basis of the parallel relationship between burying responses and growth rates, burying behavior was interpreted as a means of conserving energy, which in turn may promote greater growth in brown shrimp.