The method developed over the past decade in northern Japan to culture
phyllosoma larvae of five species of principally cool-temperate spiny
lobsters combines the features of upwelling water, cocultured microal
gae, and use of mussel gonad as food. The feeding behaviour of the phy
llosomas shows that they are primarily predators with the pereiopods a
nd secondarily plankton feeders with the maxillipeds and maxillae. Rec
ent work has shown that contamination of culture water by microorganis
ms such as the fouling protozoans Vorticella spp. can greatly reduce p
hyllosoma survival. The significance of co-cultures of microalgae in m
aintaining water quality is not yet fully understood. Newly hatched la
vae of sailfin sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus) is an excellent food f
or late-stage phyllosomas of Jasus verreauxi. About 5% of J. verreauxi
phyllosomas metamorphosed into pueruli. Mortality during the puerulus
stage was reduced by increasing the capacity of the culture tanks fro
m 30 L to 100 L. A single Palinurus elephas phyllosoma raised in co-cu
lture with diatoms and fed mussel gonad and A. japonicus larvae metamo
rphosed into a puerulus in 65 days after seven moults.