POTENTIAL OF MORPHOLOGICAL LIPOFUSCIN AGE-PIGMENT AS AN INDEX OF CRUSTACEAN AGE

Morphological lipofuscin concentration in the brains of laboratory-reared crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens), of known age, was quantified using alternative fluorescence microscope and image-analysis techniques. The quantity of olfactory-lobe lipofuscin was highly correlated with age (r = 0.96). It was found to be a superior predictor of age compared with the body-size parameters frequently used for this purpose. The results of this study suggest that morphological lipofuscin, quantified by image analysis, has significant potential as a means of age determination for crustaceans.