CRUSTACEAN BRAIN LIPOFUSCIN: AN EXAMINATION OF THE MORPHOLOGICAL PIGMENT IN THE FRESH-WATER CRAYFISH CHERAX CUSPIDATUS (PARASTACIDAE)

Abstract

Morphological lipofuscin was specifically demonstrated in the central nervous system of a crustacean for the first time. It was primarily associated with neuroglia and axons within cell masses in the brain, particularly the olfactory nuclei. It exhibited fluorescence, staining, and ultrastructural properties similar to the lipofuscin of other invertebrates and vertebrates. Pigment was quantified using morphometric image analysis techniques and shown to be more concentrated in larger animals than smaller ones. The conclusive demonstration of the presence of lipofuscin in a crustacean brain should facilitate the refocusing of crustacean age-determination studies.