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Absence of sterol synthesis in larvae of the mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii and of the spider crab Libinia emarginata

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Abstract

A dietary requirement for sterols in crustacean larvae was established by the use of isotopic tracer techniques. Larvae of the mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii and larvae of the spider crab Libinia emarginata were exposed to acetate-14C or mevalonate-14C. Radioanalysis of the fatty acids of each species indicated sufficient incorporation of acetate for lipid synthesis. No radioactivity was detected in the sterols of animals exposed to either acetate-14C or mevalonate-14C. It was concluded that R. harrisii and L. emarginata larvae are unable to synthesize sterols from acetate or mevalonate and, therefore, require them in their diet.

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Author notes

  1. J. O'Connell Whitney

    Present address: Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    J. O'Connell Whitney

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  1. J. O'Connell Whitney
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Communicated by G. L. Voss, Miami

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O'Connell Whitney, J. Absence of sterol synthesis in larvae of the mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii and of the spider crab Libinia emarginata . Marine Biology 3, 134–135 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00353433

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00353433

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