Lipid and fatty acid composition of early stages of cephalopods: an approach to their lipid requirements

Abstract

We report here the main lipid classes and the fatty acid composition from the total lipids of hatchlings of three cephalopod species: Sepia officinalis, Loligo vulgaris and Octopus vulgaris, as well as the lipid composition of two selected crustaceans that have been used previously with success as food resource for rearing cephalopod hatchlings: zoeae of Pagurus prideaux and the mysidacean Acanthomysis longicornis. Additionally, we report the lipid class and fatty acid composition of two cultures of O. vulgaris paralarvae reared with enriched Artemia juveniles, and with enriched Artemia juveniles plus a prepared pelleted diet. From their lipid composition and that of their natural food, it can be deduced that cephalopod paralarvae and juveniles must require a food rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), phospholipids and cholesterol and with a moderate content in neutral lipids. There was a clear influence of the lipid composition of the food on the lipids of cultured octopus paralarvae both at the level of lipid class and fatty acid composition. The cultured octopus paralarvae showed a lower content of PUFA as compared with the newly hatched individuals. Co-feeding techniques based on the use of polar lipid and PUFA enriched Artemia together with palatable pellets seemed to be a possible way to improve paralarval and juvenile cephalopod culture beyond the experimental scale.