Application and validation of the lipofuscin method in the assessment of crustacean age

Lipofuscin, which is a fluorescent pigment detectable in crustacean neural tissue, is correlated with age in laboratory populations of Homarus, Nephrops and Penaeus. In natural populations where age is unknown it is correlated with body size. In lipofuscin frequency distributions modes are present in some instances and may indicate the age structure of these populations. Lipofuscin accumulation is affected by temperature acting through its effect on metabolic rate. Some evidence has also been found that metabolic rate is affected by population density and size structure. Ontogenetic and sex-specific differences occur in the levels of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity in Parapenaeus. These properties of crustacean neural tissue may affect the accumulation of lipofuscin and the possibility of using it as an index of age.