Examining the inorganic elemental composition of lobster phyllosoma (Panulirus ornatus) with x-ray fluorescence microscopy.

The ornate spiny rock lobster, Panulirus ornatus, is an attactive candidate for aquaculture. The larval stages of spiny lobsters, known as phyllosoma, are complex with many developmental stages. Very little is known about the inorganic element composition of phyllosoma. In this study, a novel method using synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy (XFM) was applied to investigate the distributions of metals potassium (K), calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), the metalloid arsenic (As), and non-metal bromine (Br) within individual phyllosoma at stage 3, 4 and 8 of their development. For the first time, 1 µm resolution synchrotron XFM images of whole phyllosoma as well as closer examinations of their eyes, mouths, setae and tails were obtained. Elements accumulated in certain locations within phyllosoma, providing insight into their likely biological role for these organisms. This information may be useful for the application of dietary supplementation in the future to closed larval cycle lobster aquaculture operations.