External morphological stages and protein variations along with the embryonic development of the longarm river prawn macrobrachium tenellum (Smith, 1871)

A good understanding of a given species' embryology is important to settle the larval rearing bases when juveniles are required for culture purposes or conservation programs. Changes in embryonic morphology, protein concentration, and protein type occurring in prawn eggs were analyzed in the present work. Berried females of Macrobrachium tenellum were collected in the Colotepec River, Oaxaca, Mexico. The eggs were taken from the ovigerous mass and embryonic stages classified by their color. Morphological changes in the embryos allowed identifying six embryonic stages based on color, egg size, and morphological features. Determinations of the protein extract were executed in SDS-PAGE (electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels) and, subsequently, proteomic analyses were also performed. Protein bands along embryonic development and their molecular weights are presented and commented.