Effects of different dietary lipids concentrations on the egg production and egg quality produced by Macrobrachium acanthurus females

The sexual maturation and reproduction of crustaceans are very demanding processes for energy and nutrients. Females require the nutrients to deposit them into the eggs and allow the healthy development of embryos and early larvae survival. The lipids are essential nutrients related to the sexual maturation and the egg production, as they are sources of metabolic energy for the gonad development, as well structural molecules for the embryonic tissue formation. This work presents the effects of different dietary lipid levels (10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 20% of a mixture of krill and cod liver oil as lipid sources), on the growth, egg production, and egg quality, of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium acanthurus females fed during 60 days. The results showed that an inclusion higher than 15% of lipids, improved the egg production and the content of protein and lipids significantly. A lipid inclusion between 15 and 17.5% might be optimal for maturation and egg production of the females of M. acanthurus.