Ingestion and digestion of
10 species of microalgae by winged pearl oyster Pteria sterna (Gould,
1851) larvae
E. Martínez-Fernández, H. Acosta-Salmón, C.
Rangel-Dávalos-2004
Aquaculture, 230(1-4): 417-423
Abstract:
Ten species of microalgae were tested for ingestion
and digestion in Pteria sterna larvae using epifluorescence
microscopy to choose an appropriate diet. An experiment was conducted using
2, 4, 5 (straight-hinge) 10 and 22 (umbo stage) day old larvae. Larvae were
stocked in 150 ml flasks at 30 ml-1 and fed 100,000 algal cells
ml-1 of each species individually. Larvae were fed for 1 h and
then were observed under the microscope to detect ingestion; larvae were
then sieved and placed in flasks containing filtered seawater and were
observed after 1 and 2 h to analyse digestion for the microalgae ingested.
Out of the 10 species administered, only Nannochloris sp., Pavlova
lutheri and Isochrysis aff. galbana (T-ISO) were ingested,
and only the last two species were digested. No ingestion of Phaeodactylum
tricornutum, Chaetoceros muelleri, Ch. calcitrans, Thalassiosira
weisflogii, Dunaliella salina, Tetraselmis tetrathele and T.
suecica was evident at any stage of larval development tested. Only
T-ISO and P. lutheri should be used for larval rearing of P.
sterna until other species are identified as suitable (ingested and
digested) for this species.
(Laboratorio
Experimental de Acuacultura, Unidad Pichilingue, Universidad Autónoma de
Baja California Sur, A. P. 18-B, La Paz, B. C. S. 23081, Mexico, e-mail: Erika.MartinezFernandez@jcu.edu.au)