The effect of background colour and lighting of the aquarium on the body pigmentation of the peppered shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni.

Abstract: During a 100‐day period, the effect of two background colours (white and black) of fish tanks and two light spectrum (red and white) on the growth and pigment expression of juvenile peppermint shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni was evaluated. A completely randomized experimental design was implemented with four treatment groups and a control group (natural illumination). At the end of the study, the survival, weight gain and total carotenoid content in the abdomen and cephalothorax (spectrophotometry) were evaluated, in addition to the expression of the body colour through the analysis of digital images (colour composition RGB). The survival, weight gain (%) and total carotenoid content in the abdomen of the shrimp were similar between treatment groups (p > 0.05); however, the pigment content in the cephalothorax of the shrimp of the black background/red light treatment and the control group were significantly greater (p < 0.05) compared to the carotenoid content of shrimp of the white background/white light treatment. Independently of the total carotenoid content and of the light spectra, the shrimp of the treatments that included black background colour expressed a greater body pigmentation in comparison with those preserved in tanks with white background. These data indicate that the shrimp have a constant concentration of body pigments which they express to a greater or lesser degree depending on the environmental conditions in which they live. This effect of environmental conditions on body pigmentation should be considered during the controlled maintenance and cultivation of the peppermint shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]