Biochemical Changes in Haemolymph of Fresh Water Crab, Paratelphusa jacquemontii (Rathbun) Exposed to Copper

Paratelphusa jacquemontii, a fresh water crab are abundantly found in the Orathanadu region, Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu State, mainly in and around paddy fields. They were brought to the laboratory from their natural habitat, and first subjected to acclimatization to the laboratory conditions. They were subsequently exposed to sublethal concentrations of 1/10th &1/20th of LC50 value for 96hrs copper and the haemolymph total protein, free sugar and lipid level of the animal were estimated to study the stress caused by this heavy metal toxicant. In the present study, total protein, free sugar and lipid level of the animal showed a gradual declining trend from 0 to 15 days in the experimental animals exposed to copper.