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In This Article

  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Protocol
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Disclosures
  • Acknowledgements
  • Materials
  • References
  • Reprints and Permissions

Summary

Two eyestalk ablation protocols (i.e., cauterization and surgery approaches) were performed on anesthetized female crabs. The eyestalk ablation of mud crabs hastened the ripening of ovaries without decreasing the survival rate.

Abstract

Mud crabs (Scylla spp.) are commercially important crustacean species that can be found throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. During culture, the induction of ovarian maturation is important to meet the consumer demand for mature mud crabs and hasten seed production. Eyestalk ablation is an effective tool to enhance ovarian maturation in mud crabs. However, there is no standard protocol for the eyestalk ablation of mud crabs. In this study, two eyestalk ablation techniques are described: cauterization (the use of hot metal to ablate the eyestalk of an anesthetized crab) and surgery (the removal of the eyestalk using surgical scissors). Before eyestalk ablation, sexually mature females (CW > 86 mm) were anesthetized using an ice bag (−20 °C) with seawater. When the water temperature reached 4 °C, the ice bag was removed from the water. Flowing seawater (ambient temperature: 28 °C) was used for recovery from the anesthesia immediately after eyestalk ablation. Mortality did not occur during or after the process of eyestalk ablation. The eyestalk ablation protocol presented here accelerated the ovarian maturation of the mud crabs.

Introduction

All four mud crab species belonging to the genus Scylla are commercially important crustacean species in aquaculture1,2. The growth of crustaceans, including mud crabs, and their transformation from the pre-mature (sub-adult or pubertal) phase to the sexually mature (adult) phase occur through a molting process that involves the periodic shedding of older and smaller exoskeletons. Carapace width (CW), chelipeds, and abdominal flap morphologies are widely used to determine the sexual maturity of Scylla spp.3,4,5. The process of molting is regulated by the action of various hormones and requires a huge amount of energy6. In addition to the normal molting process, the loss of limbs, either voluntarily or induced by external factors, expedites the molting of crabs without affecting their survival rate7,8,9. Therefore, limb autotomy is commonly used for molt induction in the soft-shell mud crab farming industry7,9.

Unilateral or bilateral eyestalk ablation is mostly popular in freshwater prawn and marine shrimp for gonad maturation and seed production10,11,12,13. Common eyestalk ablation techniques in crustaceans include the following: (i) ligation at the base of the eyestalk using a string14,15; (ii) cauterization of the eyestalk using hot forceps or electrocautery devices16; (iii) removal or direct pinching of the eyestalk to leave an open wound12; and (iv) removal of the eyestalk contents through incision after slicing the distal portion of the eye with a razor17. The eyestalk X-organs are important endocrine organs in crustaceans as they regulate crustacean hyperglycemic hormones (CHH), molt-inhibiting hormones (MIH), and vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormones (VIH)6,18,19,20,21,22. Eyestalk X-organs (or the sinus gland complex) synthesize and release gonad-inhibiting hormones (GIH), also known as vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormones (VIH), belonging to the neuropeptide hormone family6. Unilateral or bilateral eyestalk ablation reduces GIH synthesis, resulting in the dominance of stimulating hormones (i.e., gonad stimulating hormones, GSH) and the acceleration of the ovarian maturation process in crustaceans23,24,25,26. Without the influence of GIH after eyestalk ablation, female crustaceans devote their energy to ovary development27. It has been found that unilateral eyestalk ablation is sufficient for the induction of ovarian maturation in crustaceans11 and that the ablated eyestalk of shrimps and crabs can regenerate after several moltings28. There are four ovarian development stages recorded in Scylla spp.: i) immature (stage-1), ii) early maturing (stage-2), iii) pre-maturing (stage-3), and iv) fully mature (stage-4)29,30. The immature ovarian stage is found in immature females. After pubertal molting and mating, the immature ovary starts developing and finally matures (stage-4) before spawning31.

An eyestalk ablation protocol is essential for mud crab broodstock development and seed production. In the global food market, mature mud crabs with fully mature ovaries (stage-4) rather than crabs with higher muscle content are preferred by consumers and, thus, have a higher commercial value, even higher than large males. There is no complete protocol for the eyestalk ablation of mud crabs. The eyestalk ablation protocol in this work minimizes stress by using fully anesthetized crabs and minimizes physical injury to personnel from crab bites. This protocol is easy and cost-effective. Here, we present a protocol for the eyestalk ablation of Scylla spp. that can induce the maturation of the gonad. Two techniques of eyestalk ablation (cauterization and surgery) were tested and their efficiencies compared based on the gonadal development rate of female mud crabs.

Protocol

This protocol follows the Malaysian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes outlined by the Laboratory Animal Science Association of Malaysia. The sacrifice of the experimental samples was done according to the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NIH Publications No. 8023, revised 1978). Sexually pre-mature female mud crabs (orange mud crab S. olivacea) were collected from the local market (5°66′62′′N, 102°72′33′′E) at the Setiu Wetlands in Malaysia. The mud crab species was identified based on morphological characteristics1.

1. Sample collection and disinfection

  1. Collect healthy, active, and pre-mature female mud crabs (Figure 1).
    ​NOTE: Pre-mature female crabs have triangular and light-colored abdomen flaps along with a CW range of 80−85 mm.
  2. Wash the crabs with chlorinated tap water (freshwater) to remove debris and osmophilic parasites.
  3. Soak the crabs in 150 ppm formaldehyde with 20 ppt salinity for 30 min.
  4. Maintain continuous and gentle aeration with airstones during the formaldehyde treatment. The aeration source can be from either a central aeration line or an aquarium aerator pump.
  5. Wash the crabs with flowing seawater to remove any residual formaldehyde.

figure-protocol-1584
Figure 1: Abdominal morphology of female mud crabs used to identify the sexual maturation stages. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.

2. Acclimatization

  1. Transfer each disinfected female into a separate 32 L circular tank.
  2. Rear the females for 3 days in 20 ppt salinity and continue feeding twice per day (morning 09:00 am and evening 20:00 pm) with chopped marine fish at about 4%−5% of the crab's body weight.
  3. Remove excess and uneaten feed by siphoning before the morning feeding.
  4. Exchange 10% of the crab rearing seawater (20 ppt) daily.

3. Induced molting for sexual maturity

  1. Cut all the legs except the swimming legs using sterilized scissors.
    1. Catch the crab with a scoop net, and hold the crab carefully. Cut both chelipeds first and then the walking legs at the second joint using scissors. The crab will autotomize the damaged appendages automatically. Anaesthesia is not required for limb autotomy.
  2. Wash the crab in freshwater immediately after limb autotomy.
  3. Individually transfer the limb-autotomized crabs into perforated plastic baskets (28 cm L x 22 cm W x 7 cm H), and place them in a fiberglass tank (305 cm L x 120 cm W x 60 cm H).
    NOTE: Two baskets can be tied and clipped together. The top basket is used as a cover so that the crab cannot escape from the basket.
  4. Use a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with 20 ppt salinity and a water depth of at least 10 cm to ensure that the whole plastic basket is submerged.
  5. Continue feeding the limb-autotomized female crab with chopped marine fish twice per day at 5%−7% of the crab's body weight.
  6. Rear the crabs until sexually mature through molting (35 days).
    ​NOTE: Induced molting can be skipped for commercial ovarian maturation and seed production with wild mature female mud crabs. Harvested mature females from the wild must be acclimatized and directly subjected to cold-shock anesthesia and subsequent eyestalk ablation.

4. Anesthesia

  1. Select sexually mature females with a dark-colored oval-shaped abdominal flap with a CW >86 mm (Figure 1).
  2. Catch the crabs with a scoop net, and keep them individually in small aquariums for anesthesia.
  3. After 5 min of acclimatization period, add 2-phenoxyethanol (2-PE) at 2 mL/L into each aquarium and allow 15 min of anesthesia treatment.
  4. Ensure the crabs are fully anesthetized by the lack of spontaneous movement.

5. Eyestalk ablation

  1. Cauterization technique
    1. Perform all procedures on top of a table and in an open area.
    2. Take a flat head nickel-steel metal rod (e.g., a screwdriver) with a wooden or plastic handle, and cover the handle with a wet cotton towel.
    3. Sterilize two stainless surgical forceps in an autoclave.
    4. Prepare 70% ethanol in a spray bottle and keep it away from any fire-related sources, such as blow torch and red hot screwdriver. Have tissue paper ready for use.
      NOTE: Ethanol is highly flammable. Maintain a safe distance from fire sources.
    5. Connect a blowtorch to a gas cylinder (butane) securely.
      CAUTION: Follow the instructions on the blowtorch and gas cylinder. Make sure that the blowtorch is switched off when connecting with the gas cylinder. Read and follow all the fire safety precautions mentioned on the gas cylinder.
    6. Wear thick cotton gloves to avoid injury from hot objects.
    7. Subject the tip of the metal rod to the fire of the blowtorch until the metal rod is bright red.
    8. Cover the anesthetized crab with a wet cotton towel.
      NOTE: Cover the antennae of the crab to avoid unnecessary damage.
    9. Hold one eye of the crab with sterilized forceps.
      NOTE: Sterilize the forceps in an autoclave for first-time use, and disinfect using 70% ethanol for subsequent use on other crabs.
    10. Hold the red-hot metal flat tip onto the eye of the crab and press slightly for about 10−15 s until the eyestalk turns an orange or reddish-orange color. Be careful when conducting this step to avoid damage to adjacent structures. 
      NOTE: Two people are needed to execute eyestalk ablation following the cauterization method: one to hold the crab and another to perform the ablation procedure.
    11. Disinfect the forceps with 70% ethanol spray to ensure no cross-contamination between crabs.
      NOTE: Only perform this step at least waiting for 5 min after the eyestalk ablation procedure to ensure the forceps are cooled down before disinfection using 70% ethanol to prevent potential fire hazards.
    12. After performing the eyestalk ablation on all crabs, dip the hot nickel steel metal rod (screwdriver) into tap water.
    13. Disinfect the towel before reuse. Multiple towels can be used to save time.
      NOTE: Wash the towel with tap water, and dip it into 30 ppm chlorinated water for 5 min. Then, wash the towel with tap water again, and dip it in a 1 g/L sodium thiosulphate solution.
    14. Keep the blowtorch in a safe place after turning it off, and wait until it returns to environmental temperature (about 30 min) before disconnecting.
  2. Surgery technique
    1. Perform the procedure in a well-ventilated area.
    2. Sterilize two surgical scissors and forceps in an autoclave.
    3. Pour 50 mL of 70% ethanol into a 100 mL glass beaker.
    4. Wear thick cotton gloves.
    5. Hold the anesthetized crab, and cover it with a wet cotton towel.
    6. Hold one eye of the crab with sterilized forceps.
    7. Swiftly cut off the eyestalk using sterilized surgical scissors.
      NOTE: Hemolymph may be lost from the wounded part of the crab.
    8. Dip the scissors and forceps in 70% ethanol after every use, and dry them using tissue paper before reuse.

6. Post-anesthesia care

  1. Prepare 20 ppt filtered seawater, and keep in an overhead tank with continuous aeration.
  2. Connect a flexible pipe with the overhead tank for gravitational water flow.
  3. Immediately after eyestalk ablation, place the crab into the basket, and subject the crab to flowing seawater (ambient water temperature: 28 °C) from the overhead tank.
  4. Keep the seawater flowing, and monitor the crab until it can move spontaneously, which indicates recovery from the anesthesia.
    NOTE: Seawater can be prepared in a ground tank, and a submersible water pump can be used for the water flow.
  5. Keep the crabs individually in 20 ppt seawater with aeration in an aquarium for 30 min for further observation.
    ​NOTE: The recovered crabs will be cultured individually in the subsequent broodstock culture process.

7. Observation of ovarian maturation

  1. Broodstock rearing
    1. Transfer the mature crabs to individual 32 L circular tanks.
    2. Continue feeding with chopped marine fish (frozen at −20 °C) twice per day (morning 09:00 am and evening 20:00 pm), and remove uneaten feed before the morning feeding.
    3. Rear the broodstock individually for 30 days in 20 ppt salinity.
    4. Remove feces, and exchange 10% of the seawater (20 ppt) daily.
  2. Dissection
    1. Clean a dissecting tray, scissors, and forceps with 70% ethanol.
    2. Anesthetize the females individually with the 2-PE immersion anesthesia method.
    3. Randomly select newly mature females (after the molting of pre-mature females) that have not gone through eyestalk ablation to confirm their gonadal stages.
    4. Sacrifice all the eyestalk-ablated experimental females individually, and identify the gonad maturation stages. Destroy the thoracic ganglia of the crab using a sharp sterile awl. Remove the top carapace first and then the hepatopancreas to make the ovary visible. Observe the ovary color, and identify the ovarian maturation stage (Figure 2).
  3. Ovarian maturation stages identification
    1. Observe the ovary color with the naked eye or under a stereomicroscope.
    2. Identify the ovarian maturation stages based on coloration30: the immature (stage-1) shows a translucent or creamy white color; the early maturing (stage-2) shows a pale to light yellowish color; (iii) the pre-maturing (stage-3) shows a yellow to light orange color; and (iv) the fully matured (stage-4) shows a dark orange to reddish color.

Results

Gonad maturation
Creamy white ovarian tissues (immature ovaries, stage-1) were found in 100% of the dissected females (n = 6) before performing the eyestalk ablation (Figure 2). The gonad maturation rate of the eyestalk-ablated female crabs (n = 63; 31 females with the cauterization technique and 32 females with the surgery technique) was higher compared to female crabs that were not subjected to eyestalk ablation (n = 31) after 30 days of individual rearing (

Discussion

This protocol was developed for the eyestalk ablation of the mud crab, Scylla spp., and can be applied as an efficient method to induce gonad maturation. This protocol can be easily replicated for the commercial ovary maturation of mud crabs and can be implemented to reduce the latent period (time from one spawning to another) in mud crab seed production.

The eyestalk ablation of crustaceans (i.e., freshwater prawn, marine shrimp) is typically done to induce gonad maturation and out-o...

Disclosures

None of the authors have any conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, under the Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) program, Malaysia, accredited to the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (Vot No. 63933 & Vot No. 56048). We acknowledge the support of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and Sayap Jaya Sdn. Bhd. via the Private Partnership Research Grant (Vot. No. 55377). An adjunct Academic Fellow position from Universiti Sains Malaysia to Khor Waiho and Hanafiah Fazhan is also acknowledged.

Materials

NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
Aeration tube Ming Yu ThreeN/Aaquarium and pet shop
AirstoneMing Yu ThreeN/Aaquarium and pet shop
Autoclave machineHIRAYAMA MANUFACTURING CORPORATIONN/AMADE IN JAPAN
Bleaching powder (Hi-Chlon 70%)Nippon Soda Co.Ltd,JapanN/AN/A
Blow torch MR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
Circular tank (32L)BEST PLASTIC INDUSTRY SDN. BHD. N/AN/A
Cotton hand gloves (thick) MR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
Cotton towelMR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
Digital thermometerHanna InstrumentHI9814Hanna Instruments GroLine Hydroponics Waterproof pH / EC / TDS / Temp. Portable Meter HI9814
Digital Vernier CaliperINSIZE Co., Ltd.N/A
Dissecting trayHatcheri AKUATROP N/AResearch Center of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Dropper bottle/Plastic Pipettes DropperShopee MalaysiaN/AN/A
Ethanol 70%Thermo Scientific Chemicals033361.M1Diluted to 70% using double distilled water
Fiberglass tank (1 ton)Hatcheri AKUATROP N/AResearch Center of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Fine sandN/AN/Acollected from Sea beach of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
First Aid KitsWatsons MalaysiaN/AN/A
Flat head nickel steel metal rod (Screw driver)MR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
FormaldehydeThermo Scientific Chemicals119690010
Gas cylinder (butane gas) for blow  torchMR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
Gas lighter gun (long head)MR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
Glass beaker (100 mL))Corning Life Sciences1000-100
Ice bag Watsons MalaysiaN/AN/A
Perforated plastic baskets Eco-Shop Marketing Sdn. Bhd.N/AN/A
PVC pipe 15mmBina Plastic Industries Sdn Bhd (HQ)N/AN/A
RefractometerATAGO CO.,LTD.
RefrigeratorSharp Corporation JapanN/AChest Freezer SHARP 110L - SJC 118
Scoop netMR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/A
SeawaterHatcheri AKUATROP N/AResearch Center of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Siphoning pipeMR D.I.Y. Group BerhadN/AN/A
Spray bottleMr. DIY Sdn BhdN/AN/A
Stainless surgical forceps N/AN/AN/A
Stainless surgical scissors N/AN/AN/A
Submersible water pump ASN/Amodel: Astro 4000
Tincture of iodine solution  (Povidone Iodine)Farmasi Fajr Sdn BhdN/AN/A
Tissue paper N/AN/A
Transparent plastic aquariumMing Yu ThreeN/Aaquarium and pet shop
Waterproof tableHatcheri AKUATROP N/AResearch Center of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

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