Ž . Comparitive Biochemistry and Physiology Part B 130 2001 339347 Ontogenetic changes in enzyme activities associated with energy production in the spiny lobster, Jasus edwardsii R.M.G. Wells a,  , J. Lu a , A.J.R. Hickey a , A.G. Jeffs a,b a School of Biological Sciences, Uni  ersity of Auckland, Pri  ate Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand b National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 109695, Auckland, New Zealand Received 4 April 2001; received in revised form 27 June 2001; accepted 3 July 2001 Abstract The larval life of the spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii is one of the longest and most complex of any marine organism and is poorly understood due to the difficulty of studying cryptic, pelagic organisms. Hence, the capacity for active swimming in the phyllosoma, puerulus and juvenile stages and the use of possible metabolic fuel reserves was inferred from a number of enzyme activities, including citrate synthase, lactate dehydrogenase, and HOAD. High activities of CS and LDH in abdominal tissues of Stage 11 phyllosoma and pueruli are consistent with a capacity to commence active on-shore movement. The activities of LDH and HOAD showed positive allometry while CS was independent of body mass. The body mass dependence of LDH activity may reflect the developing ability of the lobster to initiate brief escape manoeuvres, and the scaling of HOAD reflects an increased use of lipid fuel reserves. Aerobic enzyme activities were higher in abdominal tissues than in cephalic tissues of pelagic pueruli, but high activities appear in the cephalic tissues of juveniles. These changes mirror a developmental shift in activity from pelagic oceanic swimming to a benthic existence on the seabed of the near shore. The low LDH activity in pueruli confirmed previous findings that they have limited feeding capacity, with carbohydrate contributing little towards the major energy reserves. The highest LDH activities occur in the abdominal muscles of juveniles and correlate with rapid tail-flicking escape behaviour. The activities of HOAD increased throughout development, and in the abdominal tissues of juveniles, may reflect lipid transformation and accumulation as an energy reserve. Enzyme activities, therefore, provide useful information concerning migratory behaviour that is presently unavailable from ecological studies.  2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Lobster; Enzyme; Development; Metabolism; Allometry; Phyllosome; Puerulus; Jasus edwardsii 1. Introduction The spiny lobster, Jasus edwardsii, lives subti- dally around the coast of New Zealand and south- ern Australia where it is a dominant feature of many coastal reef communities and a key preda- Ž tor of various benthic species Lipcius and Cobb,  Corresponding author. Tel.: 64-9-3737599, extn. 7206; fax: 64-9-3737414. Ž . E-mail address: r.wells@auckland.ac.nz R.M.G. Wells . . 1994 . The larval and post-larval development of the species is long and complex with several dis- tinctive phases requiring substantial re-organisa- tion of the crustacean body plan. From hatching from eggs and the development of a brief nau- pliosoma stage, the phyllosoma larvae begin a peripatetic existence and pass through 11 recog- nised larval instars over a period of up to 2 years Ž . Booth, 1994; Kittaka et al., 1997 . The early stages are found predominantly in coastal waters but rapidly disperse to oceanic waters, often over 1096-495901$ - see front matter  2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Ž . PII: S 1 0 9 6 - 4 9 5 9 01 00439-0