Abstract
The number, size, and carbon and nitrogen contents of eggs in the pouches of a euphausiid crustacean, Nematoscelis difficilis Hansen, were examined. A clear linear relationship exists between the number of eggs in the pouch and the body weight of the maternal euphausiid. The eggs are not spherical in shape, and the size of eggs is greater in larger egg masses. The carbon content of the egg masses (50.2%) is higher than that of the bodies (40.7%). The carbon: nitrogen ratio (C/N) is also higher in the egg masses than in the bodies of euphausiids. The carbon content of the eggs is equivalent to 28.4% of the body carbon, the nitrogen content to 19.2% of the body nitrogen.
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Communicated by M. Anbaku, Nagasaki
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Nemoto, T., Kamada, K. & Hara, K. Fecundity of a euphasiid crustacean, Nematoscelis difficilis, in the North Pacific Ocean. Mar. Biol. 14, 41–47 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365779
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365779