Responses of the marine crustaceans Mysidopsis almyra Bowman, Penaeus aztecus Ives, and Penaeus setiferus (Linn.) to petroleum hydrocarbons

Abstract

Toxicity studies indicated that the mysid (Mysidopsis almyra) was more sensitive to the water-soluble fractions (WSFs) of No. 2 fuel oil than were either juvenile white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) or juvenile brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) with 48 hour TLm values of 1.1, 1.8, and 2.9 ppm, respectively. The two refined oils, No. 2 fuel oil and Venezuelan bunker C, were generally >6 times more toxic to mysids than were either southern Louisiana crude or Kuwait crude. Postlarval brown shrimp were much more resistant to Mo. 2 fuel oil WSF than larger juveniles. Naphthalene compounds were determined by bioassay studies to be responsible for most of the toxicity of No. 2 fuel oil. Small juvenile brown shrimp accumulate less naphthalene (N), methyl naphthalenes (MN) and dimethyl naphthalenes (DMN) and depurate these compounds more slowly than do larger juveniles. The accumulation and release rates of N, MN and DMN for different size classes of brown shrimp has helped explain the greater sensitivity of larger brown shrimp to No. 2 fuel oil WSF compared to smaller shrimp. Brown shrimp selectively accumulate alkyl naphthalenes over other compounds when exposed to No. 2 fuel oil WSF, but these are depurated to background levels within 10 days. Most (>80%) of the internal N, MN, and DMN accumulates in the digestive gland of brown shrimp after exposure to the WSFs of No. 2 fuel oil. ...