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Potential of morphological lipofuscin age-pigment as an index of crustacean age

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Abstract

Morphological lipofuscin concentration in the brains of laboratory-reared crayfish,Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens), of known age, was quantified using alternative fluorescence microscope and image-analysis techniques. The quantity of olfactory-lobe lipofuscin was highly correlated with age (r=0.96). It was found to be a superior predictor of age compared with the body-size parameters frequently used for this purpose. The results of this study suggest that morphological lipofuscin, quantified by image analysis, has significant potential as a means of age determination for crustaceans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoology Department, University of Queensland, 4067, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia

    M. R. J. Sheehy

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  1. M. R. J. Sheehy
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Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Sydney

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Sheehy, M.R.J. Potential of morphological lipofuscin age-pigment as an index of crustacean age. Mar. Biol. 107, 439–442 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313426

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313426

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