Effect of brine shrimp size on the consumption rate, growth, and survival of early stage phyllosoma larvae of the rock lobster Jasus edwardsii

Stages I, III, and V phyllosoma larvae of the rock lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton) were fed daily with 40, 80, 160, or 320, 1-mm brine shrimps (Artemia salina) while controls were fed either 4, 8, or 16, 2-3-mm brine shrimps. Stage I larvae fed 1-mm brine shrimps moulted in the same time as the controls. Stage III and V larvae fed 160,1 -mm brine shrimps or less took significantly longer to moult than the controls but those fed 320, 1-mm brine shrimps were not significantly different. There was no difference in the survival rates, which ranged between 70 and 100% for all stages. The consumption rate increased significantly as the initial density of 1-mm brine shrimps increased.