Seasonal abundance, ecology, reproductive biology, and biochemical composition of Mesopodopsis orientalis W.M. Tattersall (Mysidacea) from a tropical estuary (Cochin Backwater) in India

Abstract

Seasonal abundance, life history, and biochemical composition of Mesopodopsis orientalis were investigated based on samples collected over a period of one year in a tropical estuary, i.e., Cochin backwater. M. orientalis was recorded throughout the year and its peak abundance was observed during the monsoon period. The species produced more than one generation per year. The number of embryos carried by a single female ranged from 7 to 12, and was correlated with female length (P < 0.05), tending to increase with the size of the female. Egg size varied between 0.39 and 0.47 mm, with no correlation with length of the female, and size difference was observed in the same brood. Males and females attain sexual maturity after reaching a total length of 5 mm and 4.5 mm, respectively. With the exception of chlorophyll a, the environmental parameters, dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, and water temperature do not have much influence on population density. The biochemical composition of the species reveals its high nutritional quality.Mature males and females showed higher protein contents than other stages, while carbohydrate content was high in immature stages, and lipid content was high in brooding females