3.4. Discussion
Juveniles or sub-adults of M. rosenbergii occur naturally in estu-arine areas of West Bengal are thus adapted to an environment in which salinity levels vary constantly.
Results of this study also indicated that the median lethal salinity value of M. rosenbergii is very high (24.6 ppt) and it supports that the species exhibit a wide tolerance to abrupt changes in salinity. Ling (1977)
discovered that larvae of M. rosenbergii required brackish water for survival, growth etc.
The M. rosenbergii is exposed to a wide range of salinities (0–18 ppt) during it course of life cycle (Limpadanaiand Tansakul, 1980; Cheng et al., 2003).
In an earlier study, Sandifer Et al. (1975) showed that tolerance of post-larval M. rosenbergii to gradual and rapid increases in salinity was around 25 ppt and
mortality increased rapidly at levels ≥30 ppt in both cases.
Goodwin and Hanson (1975) also stated that larvae and adults of M. rosenbergii are euryhaline to a considerable degree and tolerated salinities upto 21 ppt.