Characterization of two new Artemia populations from two solar saltworks of Lesbos Island (Greece): Biometry, hatching characteristics and fatty acid profile

Cysts of two parthenogenetic Artemia strains from the Kalloni and Polychnitos saltworks on Lesbos Island (Greece) were evaluated for their potential use in aquaculture. The characterizations performed were: cyst and naupliar biometrics, cyst hatching characteristics, and fatty acid profile of instar-I nauplii. Deactivation of diapause after treatment with H sub(2)O sub(2) and/or decapsulation were applied in order to improve cyst hatchability. The evaluation revealed that the strains studied exhibit acceptable hatching characteristics for parthenogenetic Artemia and that the fatty acid profile of the Kalloni strain is excellent for use in culturing marine fishes and crustaceans. Statistical analyses on cyst and naupliar biometrics showed that the two populations characterized are almost identical and very similar to other Greek parthenogenetic strains.