Abstract

Embryonic development of Atya gabonensis was investigated at River Niger in Jebba. One hundred (100) broodstock of both sexes of A. gabonensis were collected from River Niger, in March, 2020 from fishermen by picking them from under rocks and crevices. The specimens were transported to the laboratory for further studies. Identification to species level was by keys of Schneider. The sexes were determined by features of Anetekhai. The investigation revealed eleven stages of development: In stage I, no embryonic structure was visible; cleavage was evident in stage II; blastula was observed in stage III; in stage IV, gastrula was evident; formation of nauplius at different stages was observed from stage V to XI. The final stage revealed a well developed organism, distinctly segment with cephalothorax and abdomen. It is concluded that A. gabonensis completes its embryonic development in freshwater and could serve as good candidate for freshwater prawn culture. This results constitute the first database for embryonic development of A. gabonensis

Keywords: Atya gabonensis, Aquaculture, Embryonic development, Freshwater, River Niger, Jebba