Reflected‐light Influences the Coloration of the Peppermint Shrimp, Lysmata boggessi (Decapoda: Caridea)

Abstract

One alternative to contribute to the reduction of the pressure on coral reef ecosystems brought about by an increasing demand for marine aquarium ornamentals is to improve and further develop the culture of desirable species for trade. Peppermint shrimp from the genus Lysmata are among the most intensively traded decapod in the trade and while several studies have been conducted to improve its culture, individuals obtained from culture facilities are generally paler than those collected from the wild. Because color is a fundamental component of the price tag on most marine ornamental live species, poorly colored animals command a lower price, reducing competitiveness. In this study, we evaluate the influence of tank background color (reflected light) on the morphological coloration change of Lysmata boggessi. In a 15‐d experiment, 30 individuals were exposed either to reflected‐red or white light and the relative change of coloration between initial and final moments was quantified with photography (RGB color model). At the end of the experimental period, shrimp exposed to red‐reflected light presented a more intense red coloration than those exposed to white‐reflected light. These results demonstrate that a simple change in background tank color can enhance shrimp external coloration. Such a cheap‐to‐implement procedure can support the culture of more colorful, hence more valuable ornamental shrimp that can compete with those captured from the wild.

The effect of background colour and lighting of the aquarium on the body pigmentation of the peppered shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni

“…During the maintenance of juvenile and adult shrimp in captivation, it has been observed that their pigmentation decreases with time, making their coloration less intense compared to wild species (Calvo et al, 2016). The variation and intensity of the coloration of shrimp, in both ornamental species and those produced for human consumption, are related to their quality and, therefore, their commercial value (Tume, Sikes, Tabrett, & Smith, 2009;Wade et al, 2012).…”

“…In comparison,Calvo et al (2016) selected the ocular peduncle and the second abdominal segment for the evaluation of colour in the peppered shrimp Lysmata boggessi. In comparison,Calvo et al (2016) selected the ocular peduncle and the second abdominal segment for the evaluation of colour in the peppered shrimp Lysmata boggessi.…”

The effect of astaxanthin and β carotene inclusion in diets for growth, reproduction and pigmentation of the peppermint shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni

“…The differences in how different crustacean species use different sources of carotenoids may be due to their food preferences and metabolic requirements, since carnivorous species such as P. monodon (Guillaume, 1997) have higher nutrient requirements compared to omnivorous species such as L. vannamei, freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii or L. wurdemanni (Pascual et al, 2004;Rhyne & Lin, 2004;Teshima et al, 2006). In accordance with this, it has been reported that crustaceans (especially omnivorous species) can modify their metabolic activity according to the availability or the quality of the feed, thus they can more efficiently make use of the nutrients in the diet, which is typically observed in response to the presence of dietary carotenoids (Harpaz et al, 1998;Calvo & Roldán, 2016).…”

“…Unfortunately there exist some bottlenecks that need to be resolved before managing the mass production of reef crustaceans, such as the complexity of their larval development, the de-__________________ Corresponding editor: Mauricio Laterça crease in body pigmentation due to culture conditions and the diets implemented during their maintenance which can reduce their market price. For this reason, different strategies have been attempted to improve and maintain body pigmentation, including the incorporation of pigments into the diet, and the variation of the background color, such as the intensity and type of illumination in the habitat (Regunathan & Wesley, 2006;Yuangsoi et al, 2011;Calvo & Roldán, 2016). It has been demonstrated that the addition of carotenoids in the diets for penaeid shrimps can maintain or improve their pigmentation (Supamattaya et al, 2005;Ju et al, 2011;Wade et al, 2015a), thus it is necessary to develop protocols that allow each species of interest to obtain the optimum pigment concentrations.…”

Global Aquaculture 2050

“…While already a diverse food production sector, the ongoing research on aquaculture of many new species will likely result in even greater numbers of aquatic species in commercial production by 2050. Recent examples in the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society ( JWAS ) on culture techniques for species that are newer candidates for commercial production include: seahorses (Martínez‐Cardenas and Purser ; Qin et al ; Wang et al ), knifejaw (Biswas and Takii ), Chu's croaker (Huang et al ), crappie (Culpepper and Allen ), peppermint shrimp (Calvo et al ), spotted ivory shell (Lü et al ), painted river prawn (Gomes et al ), rabbitfish (Pham and Le ), and starry and southern flounder (Hu et al ; Song et al ).…”