Ontogenetic development of digestive enzymes in the crayfish Procambarus acanthophorus

Mexico boasts a great diversity of decapod crustaceans, including crayfish known locally as acociles. Within this group, Procambarus acanthophorus stands out as an important species for regional fisheries and has high aquaculture potential because it adapts quickly to captive conditions and develops directly without larval stages, giving it a significant advantage in growth and survival over other crayfish species. However, its digestive and physiological capabilities, which could inform the development of aquaculture technologies and enhance its aquaculture potential, remain largely unknown. This study aims to identify the digestive enzymes present during ontogeny and characterize the acocil crayfish. Adult crayfish were collected and processed in the Aquatic Resources Physiology Laboratory, where the spawn and fry of the crayfish were obtained. At the end of the culture period, we collected five organisms daily to determine the crayfish enzymatic profile. We determined protease, amylase, lipase, and phosphatase activities through biochemical analysis. The results show pepsin-like enzyme activity from day 1 after hatching, while alkaline proteases are active during the first few days, with fluctuations throughout development. It is concluded that the ontogenetic development of the crayfish P. acanthophorus exhibits, from its first days of life, a primary enzymatic machinery that allows it to hydrolyze vitelline components and improves as it grows, enabling it to digest different nutrients from exogenous feed and demonstrating its strong nutritional adaptation for aquaculture.