Effect of broodstock diet on the fecundity and biochemical composition of eggs of the Patagonian red octopus (Enteroctopus megalocyathus Gould 1852)

Abstract

Twelve females of the Patagonian red octopus Enteroctopus megalocyathus, of 1.4 ± 0.2 kg, were maintained at 12 ºC under three conditioning treatments: T1 (F10%), frozen fish at 10% daily body weight (bwt d–1); T2 (FC (3:1) 10%), mix (3:1) of frozen fish and fresh crab at 10% bwt d–1; and T3 (F7.5%), frozen fish at 7.5% bwt d–1. Egg laying was observed after four months of conditioning, when from 545 to 1100 ºC days had been reached, and when females had increased 1.5 times in body weight. Absolute fecundity reached 2129 eggs (±1182) per female in treatments T1 and T2, whereas in T3 fecundity reached only 56 eggs. The lowest values of perivitelline protein were obtained in T1 and T2, while total lipid content in the yolk was similar among treatments. The most frequent fatty acids in egg yolk were 16:0, 17:0, 17:1, 18:0, 20:1, 20:4n-6, 23:0, 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3, and 22:6n-3. Significant differences in fatty acid contents among treatments were observed only for 16:1 and 22:5n-3. The results showed that females can be conditioned for egg production even when fed a diet lacking crustaceans, and that a dietary reduction of 7.5% bwt d–1 diminished fecundity without affecting egg quality in terms of their biochemical composition.

Relationships between spawn quality and biochemical composition of eggs and hatchlings of Octopus vulgaris under different parental diets

“…Similarly, a reduced fecundity has been observed when feed ration was diminished for the cephalopods Idiosepius pygmaeus (Lewis and Hodward, 1993) and E. megalocyathus (Farías et al, 2011), although other spawn quality indicators like egg dry weight or biochemical composition were maintained which point out to specific variations for the different spawn quality parameters. In addition to the interspecific variations of egg size, present study has showed that broodstock diet can also influence egg biometry within a particular species.…”

“…sardine diet. Studies carried out in E. megalocyathus by Farías et al (2011), showed that a mixed diet of frozen fish (Odonthestes sp.) and fresh crab (Cancer edwarsii) (3:1) does not improve fecundity in comparison to frozen fish alone.…”

“…Food ration has been reported to significantly affect fecundity in Idiosepius pygmaeus (Lewis and Hodward, 1993) and Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Farías et al, 2011), but no differences in egg quality were found. On the other side, food ration had a significant effect on Euprymna tasmanica egg volume, those ones from high-ration females being larger (Steer et al, 2004).…”

“…Specific studies of the broodstock nutritional requirements are necessary for cephalopod species (Farías et al, 2011;Lewis and Hodward, 1993;Steer et al, 2004). The study of egg and paralarval composition as influenced by the diet and its relation to the spawn quality has not been investigated in cephalopods; despite it could be one way to advance on broodstock dietary requirements.…”

Timing of digestion, absorption and assimilation in octopus species from tropical (Octopus maya) and subtropical-temperate (O. mimus) ecosystems

“…Octopus maya) and subtropical-temperate (O. mimus) octopuses. We also provide valuable insights on the effect of environmental conditions on the digestion and final use of nutrients by these 2 species , and presumably other species of octopods as well (Farías et al 2011, Este fanell et al 2012, Cerezo Valverde et al 2013). The process of digestion begins when the digestive tract is ready to receive a meal.…”