Effect of Microalgal Diets on Larval Growth and Survival of Anomalocardia brasiliana (Bivalvia: Veneridae)

Laboratory production of bivalve molluscs depends of the use of microalgae. For this reason, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of using different microalgal diets on growth and survival of Anomalocardia brasiliana larvae for 15 days of cultivation, between the trochophore and pediveliger stages. The diets were evaluated in two separate experiments. The first stage tested the microalgae  Isochrisys galbana (Ig), Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Phaeo), Chaetoceros calcitrans (Cca) and the combinations (Ig + Cca), (Ig + Phaeo) and (Cca + Phaeo). The second stage tested the microalgae C. calcitrans (Cca), Pavlova lutheri (Pl) and the combination (Cca + Pl). In the first experiment, diets containing C. calcitrans , had the longest shell length at the end of cultivation, with a significant difference between diets of Cca and Ig, which had respective final average lengths of 251.33 ± 5.66 µm and 230.00 ± 7.42 µm. In the second experiment, the microalgae P. lutheri and C. calcitrans proved an excellent diet for larval culture of A. brasiliana . Alone, microalgae P. lutheri and C. calcitrans no showed significant difference, however, there is a synergistic effect when they are used in combination. The use of a species-specific diet of P. lutheri combined with C. calcitrans is recommended to provide satisfactory performance in A. brasiliana larvae, cultured from the trochophore stage to pediveliger.