Open AccessImpacts of Burrowing Ghost Shrimp, Genus Lepidophthalmus Crustacea: Decapoda: Thalassinidea, on Penaeid Shrimp Culture
Author(s) -
Nates Sergio F.,
Felder Darryl L.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of the world aquaculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0893-8849
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-7345.1998.tb00978.x
Subject(s) - shrimp , biology , decapoda , bioturbation , crustacean , benthic zone , fishery , water column , penaeidae , estuary , population , invertebrate , ecology , sediment , paleontology , demography , sociology
The burrowing ghost shrimp Lepidophthalmus sinuensis Lemaitre and Rodrigues and Lepidophthalmus bocourd (A. Milne Edwards) have significant impacts on pond‐based culture of penaeid shrimp. Marked abbreviation of the larval cycle, an adaptation for estuarine retention in wild populations, favors accumulation of recruits into the same substrates as the parental population where densities of these burrowers sometimes exceed 650 individuals/m 2 . Higher densities of burrowing shrimp appear to correlate with lower yields of penaeid shrimp because of oxygen requirements by the thalassinids and also bioturbation effects. Rich sources of organic materials in highly reduced pond substrates can be readily exploited by Lepidophthalmus species due to their physiological adaptations to low oxygen concentrations. Bioturbation and ventilatory movement of water through burrowed sediments by ghost shrimp move reduced nutrients into the water column with potential toxic effects on penaeids. Ultimately, activities of these estuarine burrowers oxidize benthic sediments and cycle nutrients into the water column, the negative impacts of which are probably restricted to aquaculture settings.