Integument Of The Penaeid Shrimp

Integument of the penaeid shrimp forms an exoskeleton which covers all the external surfaces. It also protects the body of the shrimp. The integument is a physical barrier which prevents the entrance of a certain pathogen into the body (Armstrong and Quigley 1999, Tincu and Taylor, 2004). The integument comprises of a bio-mineralized cuticle. This cuticle is produced by a monolayer of epithelial cells, a basal membrane and subjacent connective tissues (Dall et al., 1990, Felgenhauer, 1992, Wilt et al., 2003, Compére et al., 2004). Chitin (50-75%) and proteins (30-40%) are the major components of the cuticle. Structurally, the three principal layers of the cuticle of the shrimp are: 2 proecdysial, epicuticle (thin layer), executable (thicker