Index of molt staging in the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

Molting is a phenomenon of shedding the old cuticle and re-generating the new one found in crustaceans including shrimps and many other species of invertebrates. The molting cycle is a dynamic process, composed of pre-ecdysis (premolt, D stage), ecdysis (E stage), postecdysis (postmolt, A-B stages), and intermolting (C stage) stages. In healthy shrimp, molting cycles are repeated several times through shrimp life in order to increase body size and mass (growth). In this paper we gather the knowledges and important findings related to the molting cycle of crustaceans from the past until present, and highlight the physical evidence of cuticular tissue that we used for molt staging in the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon. At the end of this paper we summarize the easily observed criteria used for molt staging in the black tiger shrimp.