Meeting Abstract
Neocaridina, a genus of freshwater shrimp, has been suggested as a promising new model decapod crustacean for genetic manipulation due to their ease of culture, short generation time, thin and transparent cuticle, and lack of a pelagic larval stage. This project is aimed to develop techniques for Neocaridina culture, including identification of optimal temperature and methods for anesthetization. In order to determine the optimum temperature for Neocaridina, acute routine metabolic rate was studied at 22 to 32°C. Adult Neocaridina denticulata and Neocaridina heteropoda were used to determine standard metabolic rate. Within this range of temperatures, metabolic rate ranged between 4.962 and 29.183 μmol O2/min/g. Data from one test group suggested an optimal temperature of 30°C. Shrimp anesthesia was attempted to determine basal metabolic rate as well as to remove embryos from females. Several chemicals were tested on the shrimp. Clove oil was chosen because it has been a successful anesthetic for several species of fish. Shrimp were successfully anesthetized after about 20 minutes of immersion but all concentrations had high mortality rates, the lowest having a mortality rate of 83%. MgCl2 has been an efficient anesthetic for cephalopods; shrimp were anesthetized after about 15 minutes but had a mortality rate of 100%. Tricaine methanesulfonate is often used to anesthetize many species of fish. In this solution the shrimp had a mortality rate of 100%. Kava kava root extract, containing kavalactones and alcohol, was suggested as an anesthetic by a hobbyist. In kava kava root extract solution, shrimp were anesthetized after about 40-60 minutes and had a mortality rate of 0%. Ethanol solutions at the same concentrations as the extract solutions were then tested but did not anesthetize the shrimp. Based on these results, kavalactones is suggested as the most successful anesthetic.
