ROLE OF SIMPLE FEEDING REGIME IN THE HATCHING AND REARING OF Penaeus semisulcatus LARVAE
Wild collected gravid female of Penaeus semisulcatus were spawned in hatchery by natural means. The eggs were hatched out in a period of 24 hours at 31o C and 35 ppt salinity. The development stages were documented and reared from nauplii to post larvae at 29-31oC and 35 ppt for 20 days. Naupliar stage, three zoea stages, three mysis stages and six post larval stages were illustrated and documented. Three zoea stages and mysis first stage were fed only with mixed microalgae and from second mysis stage they were fed with mixed microalgae and artemia nauplii (Fig. 1.). Post larvae were fed with the microencapsulated commercially available feed.
The larval stages of P. semisulcatus are similar to other species from such as P. monodon and P. indicus. Change in feeding habit during developmental stages was due to the morphological change in the feeding appendages. Survival rate of the larvae is highly depending on temperature and salinity.
Mortality rates (Fig. 2.) during different developmental stages were recorded and the recorded highest mortality rate was at the stage of mysis 2 around 25%. The study revealed the possibility of rearing P. semisulcatus larvae with simple feeding in backyard type hatchery.
