Abstract

The presence of idiopathic muscle necrosis in the freshwater crayfish Cherax tenuimanus (Smith, 1912) exposed to acute and chronic stressors was studied. The myopathy was observed in crayfish collected from farm dams and transported to the laboratory. The prevalence of the myopathy in two different collections from the same farm was significantly different (P < 0.05) in two of the five farms studied. The lesion was predominantly found in the abdominal muscle immediately adjacent to the cephalothorax. Physical disturbance and air exposure for 2 h caused a significant (P < 0.05) elevation in the intensity of idiopathic muscle myopathy and the intensity remained high 24 h after re-immersion. Total hemocyte counts were significantly increased (P < 0.05) after physical handling and air exposure but returned to control levels 24 h after re-immersion. Exposure to pH 2.5 also caused a significant elevation (P = 0.024) in the intensity of the myopathy. The intensity of idiopathic muscle myopathy showed a tendency to increase in muscle samples also showing an inflammatory response. The significance of these findings in relation to the etiology of idiopathic muscle myopathy and the application of this histological parameter to the assessment of stress status in freshwater crayfish is discussed.

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