The nutritional value of seven species of tropical microalgae for black-lip pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera, L.) larvae.

摘要

Recent years have seen major developments in the culture and availability of tropical microalgae as a food source for tropical bivalve species. The nutritional value of seven small (<9 micro m) tropical microalgae species: two diatoms (Chaetoceros muelleri and Chaetoceros sp.); three golden-brown flagellates (Isochrysis sp., Pavlova salina and Pavlova sp.) and two green-flagellates (Micromonas pusilla and an unidentified coccoid CS-126), were analysed for carbohydrate, lipid and protein contents as well as fatty acid composition. Each species of microalgae was fed singly to early (D-stage veliger) and later (umbo stage veliger) stage larvae of the black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. Highest survival of D-stage larvae over the 10-day experiment was recorded for those fed Pavlova sp. (CS-50). Greatest shell growth was shown by D-stage larvae fed the golden-flagellates Pavlova sp. (CS-50) and Pav. salina. Based on growth of D-stage larvae, the microalgae could be divided into three groups