VARIATIONS IN LIPID-CONTENT AND NUTRITIONAL-STATUS DURING LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE MARINE SHRIMP PENAEUS-KERATHURUS

Lipid class and fatty acid contents, survival and nutritional status o f Penaeus kerathurus larvae, reared on a mixture of the marine microal gae Tetraselmis chuii and Isochrysis galbana (clone T-ISO), the rotife r Brachionus plicatilis and Artemia (parthenogenetic strain from Cadiz , S.W. Spain), were studied throughout development. Dry weight and fre e sterol contents increased and correlated positively (r = 0.91, P < 0 .05) during development, whereas the ratio of triacylglycerol/free ste rol (an indicator of the nutritional status of the larvae) decreased a s did survival. Fatty acid contents at different larval stages reflect ed fatty acid content of foods. The content of docosahexaenoic acid (2 2:6n-3) remained constant during the mysis and first postlarval stage and a low bioconversion rate from its precursor, eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) (very abundant in Artemia food) was observed.