GROWTH AND FORM OF THE BRINE SHRIMP <i>ARTEMIA SALINA</i> (L.)

Abstract

The growth and form of Artemia salina (L.) from three different localities has been investigated under standard conditions of temperature and feeding, in two concentrations of brine. Parthenogenetic females from southern France have a higher growth rate than females of the bisexual Californian stock; the growth rate of sexually mature females is greater than that of males. The extent to which growth is influenced by the salinity of the medium varies with the sex of the animal and the stock from which it is derived. Changes in body proportions occur with increase in size of Artemia ; in particular, the abdomen becomes relatively longer. Brine shrimps from different localities, reared through several generations under standard conditions, are morphologically distinct. Body form is also influenced by the salinity of the external medium, but certain intrinsic factors, in particular the sex and genetic constitution of the animal, modify the effects of external salinity.