Abstract
The present study investigated whether the callianassid Callichirus major shows a lecithotrophic behaviour during larval development. Two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, larvae were subjected to an initial period of feeding, while in the second they were subjected to an initial period of starvation. In Experiment 1, 80% of C. major larvae succeeded moulting to juvenile stage in treatment with larvae fed every day. In the treatments with larvae fed for 1, 2 and 3 days there was total mortality before they reached the megalopal stage. In Experiment 2, zoea larvae showed more resistance when subjected to an initial period of starvation in which larvae starved for 1, 2 and 3 days and had survival rates of 100, 60 and 80%, respectively. But, a delay in the development duration of the zoeal stages was observed. Total mortality was observed for larvae reared in the treatment with entire starvation. The results suggest that zoeal stages of C. major are not lecithotrophic.
Highlights
The callianassid Callichirus major (Say 1818) inhabits the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil (Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco and Bahia to Santa Catarina States) (Melo 1999)
Larvae of C. major fed for 1 day (Treatment 1): In the treatment T2, 50% of the larvae moulted to zoea V, they were quite weakened and lived until the 15th day of the experiment (Fig. 1)
The species Callichirus major has a long larval development compared with other species of the Callianassidae family comprising of 5 zoeal and a megalopal stage
Summary
The callianassid Callichirus major (Say 1818) inhabits the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil (Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco and Bahia to Santa Catarina States) (Melo 1999). The callianassid shrimps plays an important role in soft-sediment intertidal benthic habitats as they promote the bioturbation, which directly influence in the chemical (Aller et al 1983, Waslenchuk et al 1983, Ziebis et al 1996, Bird et al 2000) and physical properties of the sediments (Suchanek 1983, Suchanek and Colin 1986) These organisms significantly enhance the sediment turnover, organic matter and nutrient cycling (Waslenchuk et al 1983, Branch and Pringle 1987, Ziebis et al 1996, Webb and Eyre 2004) and redistribute the metals and contaminants (Suchanek et al 1986, AbuHilal et al 1988). The burrows and gallery system of C. major are important because they provide a favourable micro-
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