Effect of container coloration on the feeding rates of the zoeal larvae of the giant freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium rosenbergii
1993
Lin, X.T. (Tokyo Univ. of Fisheries (Japan)) | Omori, M.
Feeding experiments were carried out on the zoeal larvae of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man) using Artemia nauplii as a prey to examine the effect of coloration of the rearing container. The container coloration tested was black, red, yellow, sky blue, white and shiny tin. As a control, glass containers with black-colored bottom were used. The feeding rates decreased with the increase of the lightness of color: the highest feeding rate was recorded on the larvae placed in black and control containers, and the lowest for those kept in white and shiny tin containers. Additional experiments indicated that the swimming behavior of the larvae also differed significantly with the coloration of the container. The swimming speed and distance of horizontal movement of the larvae increased by 3 times in the white container, as compared with those recorded on the larvae in the control container. Thus, excess "excitation" in lighter colored containers may be responsible for reduced feeding of the larvae. The present results indicate that for successful rearing of the larvae color environment should be maintained in dull or "non-bright" colors
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