Comparative study of age estimation in wild and cultured Octopus vulgaris paralarvae: effect of temperature and diet

• Published in: Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 2018-06, Vol.598, p.247-259
• Main Authors: Perales-Raya, C., Nande, M., Roura, A., Bartolomé, A., Gestal, C., Otero, J. J., García-Fernández, P., Almansa, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Age determination; Aquatic crustaceans; Artemia; Beak; Beaks; Captivity; Chronology; Coastal zone; Comparative analysis; Comparative studies; Continental shelves; Crabs; Crustaceans; Deposition; Diet; Dynamics; Filaments; Growth rings; Marine crustaceans; Marine molluscs; Ocean circulation; Octopus vulgaris; Prey; Shellfish; Temperature; Temperature effects; THEME SECTION: Innovative use of sclerochronology in marine resource management; Upwelling; Zoeae
• ISSN: 0171-8630; 1616-1599
• DOI: 10.3354/meps12218

The common octopus Octopus vulgaris is a highly valuable species worldwide, but to understand its population dynamics and requirements under culture conditions, it is crucial to improve our knowledge about its planktonic stages. Previous studies validating daily beak growth increments in these stages allowed age estimation and comparison of wild and cultured paralarvae. We aimed to improve age estimations in captivity, addressing the effect of temperature and diet, to obtain an accurate estimation of age in wild specimens collected from the coast to the open ocean off NW Spain and Morocco. We analysed the beak growth increments of reared paralarvae at 14 and 21°C with 2 different crustacean prey taxa (Artemia and spider crab Maja brachydactyla zoeae) over 30 d. Daily increment deposition at 21°C was confirmed, whereas