ABSTRACT. Macrobrachium tenellum is a freshwater prawn native from Mexico to Peru, with potential for cultivation. Currently, it is extensively exploited by local fisheries. To understand its chitin requirements, a formulated diet with chitin added (5, 10 15, 20, and 25%) was given to juveniles for 60 days. Growth, survival, and enzyme activity (trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, amylase, and chitinase) were measured every 15 days. Highest final weight and specific growth rate resulted from diets with 20% chitin. Poorest performance resulted from diets with 5 and 10% chitin. Chitin in the diet did not have a significant effect on survival. Statistically significant differences in enzyme activity were not found in any treatment.
A good understanding of a given species' embryology is important to settle the larval rearing bases when juveniles are required for culture purposes or conservation programs. Changes in embryonic morphology, protein concentration, and protein type occurring in prawn eggs were analyzed in the present work. Berried females of Macrobrachium tenellum were collected in the Colotepec River, Oaxaca, Mexico. The eggs were taken from the ovigerous mass and embryonic stages classified by their color. Morphological changes in the embryos allowed identifying six embryonic stages based on color, egg size, and morphological features. Determinations of the protein extract were executed in SDS-PAGE (electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels) and, subsequently, proteomic analyses were also performed. Protein bands along embryonic development and their molecular weights are presented and commented.
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