2024 Volume 53 Pages 85-95
Temperature and salinity are important abiotic factors that affect the survival and development of decapod crustacean larvae. Atyoida pilipes is an amphidromous freshwater shrimp species with a wide distribution in tropical and subtropical Pacific islands. Therefore, it is hypothesised that A. pilipes larvae have the potential to survive and develop in an open sea environment with high temperature and salinity conditions. We cultured A. pilipes larvae under 16 combinations of temperature (20, 24, 28 and 32°C) and salinity (8.5, 17, 25.5 and 34 ppt) treatments to infer suitable environments for larval survival and development in the sea. Early moulting events up to stage 4 zoeae were determined. Larvae did not survive to the juvenile stage. However, temperature and salinity significantly affected larval survival and duration to reach stages 2, 3 and 4 zoeae. Larval survival was high at 25.5–34 ppt and 28–32°C, especially at 34 ppt and 32°C. Thus, our results support the initial hypothesis of larval adaptation to temperature and salinity in this species. Larval adaptation to high temperature and salinity conditions may lead to a wider eastward distribution and a restriction of the northern range limit of this species in the Pacific.
