Toxic levels of mercury for sequential larval stages of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

The toxicity of mercury for sequential stages of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) larvae was studied under static water conditions at a salinity of 12‰ and temperature of 25.5 – 27.0°C. The results revealed that stage 1 larvae had the lowest threshold lethal concentration (TLC) of mercury, 0.041 ppm Hg, while the post-larvae had a TLC of 0.325 ppm Hg. There was an abrupt increase in the TLC of mercury after the larvae had reached stage 5. The lower TLC prior to stage 5 is most probably due to the more frequent moulting and the relatively thinner cuticle of the larvae.