Fatty acid profiles of spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) phyllosoma fed enriched Artemia

Three different life stages of spiny lobster larvae (phyllosoma) of Panulirus homarus were fed A1-Selco-enriched Artemia in two culture treatments, one with the microalgae Nannochloropsis salina (green water) and the other without the microalgae (clear water) to assess the ability to manipulate their fatty acid composition. Phyllosoma fed with 3-h A1-Selco-enriched Artemia salina attained Stage VIII (5.3 mm) and Stage V (3.4 mm) in 42 days in the green and clear water treatments respectively. The higher content of the essential fatty acids in N. salina (eicosapentaenoic acid, 25.8%; arachidonic acid, 9.5%; and docosahexaenoic acid, 4.2%) in the green water system increased the fatty acid content of the live food Artemia, and ultimately the phyllosoma. In spite of phyllosoma being fed with enriched Artemia in the clear water system, the total polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the early (Stages I-III) and mid stage (Stages IV-V) phyllosoma were significantly smaller (18.8% and 14.6% respectively) (P < 0.05) than in the green water system (25.3% and 21.2% respectively). These results indicate the positive role of the microalgae in boosting the essential fatty acid content of lobster larvae.