Got some DAS today and noticed something strange (well I thought it was).

They don't look like eggs and I've never seen them in that part of the shrimp.

Is this some kind of disease? I couldn't see anything in the disease thread here.

 

Edited July 17, 20169 yr by neo-2FX

Not eggs - as they are within the tail muscle tissue.

I think it therefore has to be a parasite of some kind.  Possibly trematodes given the similarity to the photo in this article:  http://sercblog.si.edu/?p=4179

...or could be something else entirely.

Read the article - and see if you can spot a behavioural difference!

They look to be just under the shell... see if they survive through a moult.

Edited July 17, 20169 yr by Grubs

@Grubs looks similar...I wonder if it's contagious? Do I need to quarantine? Worried it may spread

From a few mins of reading only ... metacercarial cysts (infective stage of trematodes) are quite common in crustaceans.  The parasite relies on a fish or waterbird eating the shrimp and then the adult fluke grows within the vertebrate host. 

 

Google "Microphallus turgidus" - it seems like a similar species.

 

1) eggs are shed from the vertebrate host into the water and are picked up (eaten) by snails/flatworms.

2) cercaria hatch out of the snail and infect the shrimp and burrow into the tissue where they form cysts.

3) The shrimp gets eaten and the adult fluke grows in the fish/waterbird... which poops out the eggs.

If your DAS are in a shrimp only tank I'd probably leave it...  If you have fish in the tank that might eat them you could quarantine the shrimp but its possible the cysts persist for the life of the shrimp (I dont know).   If its just one shrimp then I'd feed it to some ants.

It wont spread from shrimp to shrimp.

 

...a closeup with a microscope is really needed to confirm if they are cysts.

Thanks for the information@Grubs! Extremely helpful.

12 hours ago, Grubs said:

Possibly trematodes given the similarity to the photo in this article:  http://sercblog.si.edu/?p=4179

Wow interesting article @Grubs well worth a read by all. @neo-2FX let us know how it pans out, interested to see if you quarantine the DAS and watch what happens after its moulted.

So, as long as @neo-2FX doesn't eat his shrimp it's all good? 

4 hours ago, zn30 said:

Wow interesting article @Grubs well worth a read by all. @neo-2FX let us know how it pans out, interested to see if you quarantine the DAS and watch what happens after its moulted.

Have quarantined for now so let's see how they go. 

4 hours ago, NoGi said:

So, as long as @neo-2FX doesn't eat his shrimp it's all good? 

?

Did the DAS pull through in the end mate?

Sadly not @revolutionhope. I was extremely busy lately and neglected the tank they were in. I have since got a whole bunch from @Grubs which are beautiful and healthy. Shout-out to him for the top quality! They did decide though that suicide was an option so had to cut up some acrylic for covers on the tank haha

Interesting to note though that the 'egg looking things' didn't drop with a moult.

Edited September 12, 20169 yr by neo-2FX