Efficiency in heavy metal purge in crustaceans during the ecdysis

Insights into metal depuration in different tissues of the burrowing crab Neohelice granulata (Dana, 1852)

“…Even though all organisms in our study undergoing depuration were in the intermolt stage, and an increase in metal content in the shell was not observed, the reduction of some metals in tissues explained by their movement to the exoskeleton for expulsion in subsequent ecdysis periods cannot be ruled out. This was observed by Ramos et al (2021)…”

Ecdysis as an auxiliary route for the removal of heavy metals in crustaceans: Laboratory analysis with native mangrove specimens

“…For Pb, it was previously described that Minuca pugnax raised in environments with high Pb concentrations eliminated Pb by ecdysis, while the same species of crab raised in low concentrations of Pb absorbed it in soft tissues (Bergey & Weis 2007). Ramos et al (2021) also characterized the process of detoxifying heavy metals in Ucides cordatus crabs in natura during the period of ecdysis, demonstrating to be an important detoxi cation route in these invertebrates.…”