The Effects of Temperature and Salinity on Growth and Survival of Larval Shrimp Penaeus Semisulcatus (Decapoda: Penaeoidea)

Growth and survival of Penaeus semisulcatus larvae were measured in factorial combinations of temperature (20ଠ23ଠ26ଠ29ଠand 32é and salinity (28鬠29鬠32鬠34鬠and 37驮 Three experiments were maintained for 5 to 6 d, between late nauplius and first mysis stages. Salinity did not have a significant effect on growth or survival above 28鮠At 28鬠both growth rate and survival decreased (although the reduced survival occurred only at the lowest temperatures). While temperature had a substantial and regular influence on growth rate (larvae growing more rapidly at warmer temperatures), the effect on survival was not clear. In one experiment, there was significantly lower survival at the higher temperatures (32ࠡnd 29é; however, temperature did not affect larval survival at all in the other two experiments. The results were compared with six years of published data on temperatures and salinities in Albatross Bay, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, and indicate that naturally occurring salinities are unlikely to directly affect survival of P. semisulcatus larvae in that area. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 29ì raising the possibility (from the results of one experiment of three) that high temperatures may cause larval mortality in Albatross Bay. However, other published evidence indicates that such an effect is unlikely to have practical significance.No Full Tex