Abstract
Feeding rate of the protozoeal and mysid stages of the shrimp Metapenaeus ensis on the diatom Chaetoceros gracilis was studied in the laboratory. Animals were starved for 3 to 4 hours, then exposed to food. Increase in gut fullness was monitored by the gut fluorescence method. Defecation usually took place 40 to 60 minutes after feeding started. Gut fullness began to level off after the onset of defecation. Variability of gut fullness was 2‐fold or more between replicate samples, and up to 4‐fold between larvae obtained from different spawners. Ingestion and clearance rates were determined over the first 60 minutes of feeding. Ingestion rates increased with increased food concentration and age of the animals. Maximum ingestion rate of about 150 ng pigment larva‐1 day‐1 was observed in MII feeding on C. gracilis at concentration of about 200 ng chla ml‐1. Clearance rates remained constant over a range of food concentrations and showed no correlation with the age of the animals.
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