Neurolipofuscin Is a Measure of Age in Panulirus argus, the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, in Florida

Abstract

Accurate age estimates for Panulirus argus, the commercially important Caribbean spiny lobster, would greatly enhance life history and population analyses. Most age approximations of P. argus are based on size and growth data, but size is generally considered a poor proxy for age of crustaceans in the field because of numerous environmental, density-dependent, and fishery-related factors. An established technique for aging crustaceans, employing histologically determined lipofuscin content in the nervous system, was investigated using known-age lobsters reared in the laboratory at ambient temperatures. We verified the presence of lipofuscin in eyestalk neural tissue by using autofluorescence and Sudan black staining and described its distribution in cell cluster A of the hemiellipsoid body. Neurolipofuscin accumulated with age; the overall trend was linear with indications of seasonal oscillation, whereas growth began to approach an asymptote after 3 years. Differences in the neurolipofuscin concentrations in the two eyestalks from the same animal were statistically insignificant. There was also no difference in the neurolipofuscin concentrations of males and females of the same age. The present data suggest a maximum potential lifespan for P. argus of about 20 years. These results also suggest that the neurolipofuscin technique will be valuable for estimating age of wild-caught specimens of P. argus.

Estimating age composition in Alpine native populations of Austropotamobius pallipes complex

“…Alternatives proposed for estimating the age of crustaceans (see Vogt, 2012) include the use of stable isotope ratios in calcareous skeletons (Le Foll et al, 1989), the concentration of lipofuscin pigments in the brain (Sheehy, 1990; o n l y Belchier et al, 1998;Bluhm and Brey, 2001;Maxwell et al, 2007) and the structure of the infra-cerebral organ (Bazin, 1970). All these methods require the sacrifice of individuals, which would not be acceptable in an endangered species like A. pallipes.…”

Biología pesquera de la langosta Panulirus gracilis en Playa Lagarto, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

“…Sin embargo, se debe tener en cuenta que el estudio de las tallas es generalmente considerado como una medida pobre de la edad en crustáceos que viven en hábitats naturales debido a que el crecimiento es dependiente de muchos factores ambientales y es afectado además por la denso-dependencia (James et al 2001). Una técnica alternativa para el cálculo de la edad en crustáceos ha sido desarrollada en base a la concentración de un pigmento de edad, llamado neurolipofuscin, el cual se concentra en tejidos suaves del sistema nervioso central y que ha sido utilizado como un buen indicador de edad en muchas especies de crustáceos (Maxwell et al 2007). Por esta razón, se deben proponer estudios histológicos que permitan corroborar nuestras aproximaciones de edad encontradas para P. gracilis en Playa Lagarto.…”

Use of extractable lipofuscin to estimate age ­structure of ghost shrimp populations in west coast estuaries of the USA

“…The most commonly applied technique involves analysis of histological sections by quantifying, through fluorescence microscopy, the number and size of lysosomal granules containing the pigment (Sheehy 1989(Sheehy , 1990a. Estimations using the histological method have shown great precision, often predicting ages within a few months (or years for long-lived species) of the actual chronological age of the animal (Sheehy 1990b, Wahle et al 1996, Belchier et al 1998, Maxwell et al 2007). However, sample sizes tend to be small because of the time commitment involved, reducing the statistical power of the method.…”