Food type effects on reproduction of hyperbenthic calanoid species Pseudocyclops xiphophorus Wells, 1967, under laboratory conditions

Abstract

Egg production, hatching success and naupliar survival were determined for Pseudocyclops xiphophorus pairs fed a Skeletonema marinoi, a flagellate (Tetraselmis suecica, Pavlova lutheri and Isochrysis galbana) and a mixed (Skeletonema and flagellates) diet. Pairs fed Skeletonema marinoi showed significantly lower egg production and naupliar survival than couples fed flagellates and mixed diet. But hatching success was more or less similar with the three food types. Furthermore, feeding experiments demonstrated a clear preference of P. xiphophorus for the flagellate food type.

Keywords:

• egg production
• food type
• hyperbenthic calanoid species
• laboratory conditions

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Adrianna Ianora from the Zoological Station of Naples (Italy), who gave me precious suggestions for this work and the opportunity to compare the effects of the same clone of Skeletonema marinoi tested by her on the fecundity of P. xiphophorus. I also would like to thank Dr Francesco Esposito from the same institute who sent me this phytoplankton species.