Gómez Olga, Gómez Alfredo
Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas de la Universidad de Oriente, Boca del Río-Nueva Esparta, Venezuela.
Rev Biol Trop. 2005 Dec;53 Suppl 3:313-8.
The sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus is a promissory species for aquaculture activities in tropical countries. In Venezuela, this species has some economical importance but their embryonic and larval development had not been studied. We collected specimens from seagrass beds in Margarita Island (Venezuela) and kept them in the laboratory, where they spawned naturally. With filtered sea water (temperature 28 degrees C, salinity 37 psu) and moderate aeration, the eggs and sperm were mixed (relation 1:100) and reached a 90% fertilization rate. The fertilization envelope was observed after two minutes, the first cellular division after 45 minutes and the prism larval stage after 13 hours. The echinopluteus larval stage was reached after 17 hours and metamorphosis after 18 days of planktonic life, when the larvae start their benthic phase.
多色刺海胆是热带国家水产养殖活动中有前景的物种。在委内瑞拉，该物种具有一定经济重要性，但此前尚未对其胚胎和幼体发育进行研究。我们从委内瑞拉玛格丽塔岛的海草床采集标本，并将其置于实验室中，它们在实验室自然产卵。使用经过过滤的海水（温度28摄氏度，盐度37 psu）并适度曝气，将卵子和精子混合（比例为1:100），受精率达到90%。两分钟后观察到受精膜，45分钟后出现第一次细胞分裂，13小时后进入棱柱幼体阶段。浮游生活17小时后进入长腕幼虫阶段，浮游生活18天后变态，此时幼虫开始底栖阶段。
