Breeding Performance and Life Development Stages of Small Indigenous Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium lamarrei Under Captivity

Abstract

newline The present study investigates the breeding performance and developmental stages of Macrobrachiumlamarrei, under captive conditions. The experiment was conducted at ICAR- NBFGR,Lucknow,utilizing50pairsofbroodstockcollectedfromtheGomtiRiver.Prawnswere maintained with consistent monitoring of water parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Courtship behaviors initiated within 4-6 days post-acclimatization. Out of 40 maintained females, 32 successfully spawned, recording an 80% spawningsuccess.Morphometricanalysisrevealedanaveragebodylengthof4.85±0.09cmand weight of 0.91 ± 0.05 g in berried females. Embryonic development lasted 10-11 days, passing through twelve distinct stages, including cleavage, blastula, gastrula, germinal disc formation, organogenesis, segmentation, and pigmentation. Daily investigatetion using a stereo microscope (CILIKA), capturing detailed morphogenesis from fertilization to hatching. The yolk color changedfromgreentopaleyellow,brownish-yellow,andfinallydullwhitepriortohatching,with clear visibility of appendages and compound eyes during pre-hatching phase. Hatching occurred in batches over 2 3 days, with a mean larval length of 6.0 mm. Rearing trials were carried out withdifferentstockingdensitiestodeterminesurvivalandgrowthefficiency.Survivalratesranged from 30.47% to 52.74% during the first week. Growth trials revealed better performance under moderate stocking conditions. Treatment T2 in FRP tanks recorded the highest survival (92.5%) andaSGRof8.74%,whileaquariumtanksshowedcomparativelylowergrowthandsurvivability. Water quality remained favorable 29°C temperature, DO above 5.5 mg/L, and NH3 lt0.11 mg/L. ComparativeanalysisonM.dayanumandM.rosenbergiidemonstratedthatM.lamarreidisplays strong reproductive viability and adaptability to captivity. However, survival in early-stage challengeingduetoenvironmentalsensitivity.Thisresearchcontributesbiologicalunderstanding ofM.lamarreiandsetsfoundationforitsintegrationintoaquacultur