Preliminary spawning and larval rearing of the sea cucumber Holothuria sanctori (Delle Chiaje, 1823): A potential aquaculture species

Abstract

Hatchery production is critical to the successful aquaculture of a species. This study describes the first captive breeding and reports on the embryonic development and early larval stages of the sea cucumber Holothuria sanctori, a species native to the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Various induction methods were applied to obtain spawning in adult H. sanctori specimens; gametes were obtained from a spontaneous spawning event and from broodstock induced by mechanical shock coupled with algal stimulation. Fertilized eggs were then cultured at two different densities (0.3 egg/ml and 1 egg/ml) and fed two microalgae densities (5 × 103 – 2 × 104 cells/ml and 1 × 104 – 4 × 104 cells/ml) from the microalgae Nannochloropsis sp. and Amphora sp. and larval growth was recorded. Embryonic and larval development of H. sanctori were monitored on a daily basis for one month and auricularia larval growth was registered at days 5, 10, 15, and 20 after fertilization. The embryonic and larval stages were observed up to the late auricularia stage (14 days after fertilization). The best larval growth was observed at the lower egg and algal densities.