Effect of background color and shelters on female pigmentation in the ornamental red cherry shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Caridea, Atyidae)

LOPEZ GRECO L.S; TOMAS AL; SGANGA DE

JOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2019

0893-8849

Neocaridina davidi, the ?red cherry? shrimp, is becomingpopular in trade markets because of the reddish colorationof females. The aim of this study was to analyze the impactof background substrate color, and the presence of shelterson N. davidi female pigmentation and astaxanthin content.In the first experiment juveniles were assigned to one ofthree treatments: white, red, or black background substrate.After 90 days, females exposed to the black backgroundshowed higher astaxanthin content and relative carapacecolored area than those exposed to white and red backgrounds. The second experiment evaluated the presence ofshelters with white or black backgrounds. Juveniles wereassigned to one of four treatments: white background withshelters (WS), white background without shelters (WWS),black background with shelters (BS), and black backgroundwithout shelters (BWS). After 90 days the presence of shelters did not influence either the color nor total astaxanthincontent. Females exposed to BWS and BS had higherastaxanthin content and relative carapace colored area thanthose exposed to WWS and WS. Growing N. davidi withblack substrates could be a low cost and easy method toimprove its economic value. Furthermore, this species couldbe cultivated as a pigment-enriched food source for otheraquatic species.