Morphology of Postlarvae of the Whiteleg Shrimp Penaeus vannamei.

Abstract

Postlarvae of known parentage of Penaeus vannamei were reared in a laboratory. Their morphological characters were sequentially described, and compared with those of wild specimens and with previous descriptions. Differences in relative rostral length and in size at the first appearance of the spine and spinules have been detected between reared and wild postlarvae. A similarity in morphology was confirmed by a comparison with previous studies, but a difference in the ratio of antennular flagella, which was a subgeneric criterion of penaeid postlarvae, was revealed. The relative growth of carpus was compared between specimens in different localities, and the similarity in this growth was revealed.