BIOCHEMICAL (FATTY-ACID PROFILE) DIVERSITY IN ANOSTRACAN SPECIES OF THE GENUS CHIROCEPHALUS PREVOST

Wild populations of five Chirocephalus species from Italy were tested for their fatty acid profiles, particularly essential fatty acids (EFA ) in order to obtain information on species differences. Chirocephalus diaphanus, C. kerkyrensis and C. salinus were from temporary plain po ols, whereas C. ruffoi and C. marchesonii came from a mountain pool an d an astatic high altitude lake. Statistical comparisons of the result s obtained revealed significant (P<0.05) qualitative and quantitative differences among the species studied. Besides genetic make-up, other factors are presumably involved in these differences. Among these, env ironmental stability, and hence food quality and quantity, may play a major role, an hypothesis supported by previous findings regarding the possibility of manipulating fairy shrimp fatty acid patterns by using different diets. Further investigation is needed, however, on the fat ty acid composition of the food resources from different habitats in r elation to the fairy shrimp inhabitants.