DEVELOPMENT, GROWTH, AND SURVIVAL OF LEPEOPHTHEIRUS-SALMONIS (COPEPODA, CALIGIDAE) UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

Development, growth, and survival data derived from laboratory experiments are provided for Lepeophtheirus salmonis, a common ectoparasite of wild and sea-farmed salmonids. the mean development time of eggs was 419.1 hours (17.5 days) at 5-degrees-C, 207.1 hours (8.6 days) at 10-degrees-C, and 130.8 hours (5.5 days) at 15-degrees-C. Development from the first nauplius to the infectious copepodid stage took 222.3 hours (9.3 days) at 5-degrees-C, 87.4 hours (3.6 days) at 10-degrees-C, and 44.8 (1.9 days) hours at 15-degrees-C. Development from the egg to the adult male took 40 days, and from the egg to the adult female 52 days at 10-degrees-C. No egg development occurred at 10% salinity. At 15% eggs developed but failed to produce active nauplii. At higher salinities (20-30%) active nauplii were produced, but copepodids were only obtained at 30%. Copepodids survived for less than 1 day in water with a salinity of 10% or less. At higher salinities (15-30%) and temperatures of 5, 10, and 15-degrees-C average survival times ranged between 2 and 8 days.