Redescription and illustration of caridean shrimp from the Cretaceous (Aptian) of Brazil

Fossil caridean shrimp of Palaemonidae are reasonably common in Cretaceous and Oligocene deposits of Brazil. Reexamination of species assigned to Pseudocaridinella Martins-Neto and Mezzalira, 1991b, indicate that a new genus, Bahiacaris n. gen., must accommodate one of the referred species, Bahiacaris roxoi new combination. Palaemonidae invaded freshwater in South America by the late Early Cretaceous.     

Oxygen consumption in the shrimp,Palaemonetes pugio,exposed to fluctuating temperatures and food contaminated with the diaromatic petroleum hydrocarbon,dimethylnaphthalene

Oxygen consumption rates (V?o₂) in the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio were determined after a 32 day exposure to fluctuating temperatures (FT) (18–22°C) and/or dimethylnaphthalene (DMN)-contaminated food (0·24 μg DMN g wet wt^?1) and again after a 16 day recovery period of stable temperatures (20°C) and uncontaminated food. Ingestion of DMN-contaminated food for 32 days resulted in elevated V?>o₂ in shrimp exposed to declining oxygen concentrations. After the 32 day exposure period, FT had no significant effect on V?o₂ at 15, 20 and 25°C, tissue V?o₂ and V?o₂ in declining oxygen. Hemolymph copper concentrations were significantly depressed in shrimp exposed to DMN-contaminated food. After the 16 day recovery period, shrimp from the FT regime exhibited depressed V?o₂ when exposed to 25°C but not to 15°C. These depressed respiratory rates were offset by the stimulatory effect of DMN-contaminated food.These respiration studies were generally unproductive in explaining the previously reported effects of FT and DMN-contaminated food on the survival of P. pugio under hypoxic conditions.     

Seasonal anecdysis and moulting synchrony in field populations of Palaemon elegans (Rathke)

A population of Palaemon elegans studied during 1978–1980 showed a characteristic moult cycle structure according to season, comprising a winter anecdysis, ‘epidemic’ spring moulting and synchrony of moult cycle development. The initiation of moulting in the spring was temperature-dependent, an estimated environmental temperature of 7–8 °C being necessary to allow moulting. Developmental synchrony during the moult cycle was observed following the initial spring moults, and it is thought that the degree and duration of moult synchrony is temperature-dependent. Synchrony is lost during the summer. Despite seasonal climatic differences between years, little difference in the time of appearance of berried females was seen. It is thought that oogenesis is controlled primarily by photoperiodic rather than temperature-dependent mechanisms. During egg development the moult cycle of ovigerous females was prolonged during intermoult stages and, during late vitellogenesis, premoult stages were prolonged.     

Biometric analysis of lacustrine and riverine populations of Palemonetes antennarius (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from north-western Greece

Comparative study of morphometric measurements was undertaken on populations of Palaemonetes antennarius from two freshwater habitat zones (lacustrine pelagic and lacustrine littoral) and from the fluvial littoral habitat zone of three estuaries of north-western Greece. Multivariate statistical analyses (principal component analysis and discriminant function analysis) revealed clear morphometric differences between sexes and sampling sites. The observed differences are expressed mainly thought the measurements related to the body heights (carapace height and second pleon height), as a result of sexual dimorphism, High values for the female body heights seem to be correlated to specific fecundity profile and reproductive strategy. On the other hand, morphometrical variables related mainly to body lengths, such as rostral, telson and pleon lengths, were observed to be correlated to the study sites. Characters related to the summing capacity (telson length, telson width and pleon lengths) were generally found to have higher values in the specimens from habitats with high reophilic profile.