Abstract:
The colourful harlequin shrimp, Hymenocera picta, is a valuable marine ornamental species but low survival remains a bottleneck to successful commercial culture. Understanding the biochemical composition, notably through the determination of the fatty acid profiles in wild eggs, newly hatched and juvenile shrimp, can provide important information on the nutri-tional requirements of H. picta. Following analysis, the rank order of fatty acid composition was saturates > monoenes > polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Within the PUFA content, n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) was the major representative in all three stages; n-6 PUFA was found in lower amounts, and, arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) was not detectable. Observed increases in EPA and DHA from the eggs through to newly hatched zoea and juvenile shrimp indicate the impor-tance of n-3 HUFA for growth and survival, i.e. as components in the formation of cell membranes. These findings should be given due consideration as a first approach to understanding the fatty acid requirements of harlequin shrimp.
