Characteristics of Haemolymph’s Juvenile Tiger Prawn, Penaeus Monodon (Fabricius)

The mechanism of stress and diseases resistance to extreme environments of tiger prawn
(Penaeus monodon, Fabricius) is very complex and little understood. Information about the characteristics of
natural haemolymph can be a useful guide to assess the performance of physiological responses of juvenile
tiger prawn to extreme weather and environmental stresses and changes. The objective of this paper is therefore
to examine and characterize the juvenile tiger prawns natural haemolymph. The study was conducted through
three field observation times within a 10 days interval period when the juvenile tiger prawns were about two
months old. Sampling of juvenile tiger prawns each weighing 5-16 g were carried from four to six random
location points at each corner of the pond where two points were taken from the middle of the pond. Growth
parameters of the juvenile tiger prawn haemolymph such as the number of hemocytes, total protein, glucose,
plasma protein osmotic and the percentage types of different hemocyte cells were monitored. Using a
correlation analysis (á = 0.01), it was observed that the increased weight of juvenile tiger prawn was positively
correlated to the increased number of hemocytes, total protein and haemolymph plasma osmolality. However,
it was not correlated with increased haemolymph glucose. Based on the percentage types of hemocytes, the
small juvenile tiger prawns had a high body resistance towards diseases and environmental stress but a low
percentage of the alleged hyaline cell antibody function which were in contrast to the large size juvenile tiger
prawns. This study implies that bigger size tiger prawns need a careful treatment when reared in a pond. More
studies need to be done in the future to obtain more information on the response of different sizes of tiger
prawns to physiological stresses as a results of extreme environmental conditions