Triops (Entomostraca) Eggs Killed Only by Boiling

Abstract

Temporary rainpools near Khartoum, Sudan, are inhabited by the notostracan crustacean Triops which completes its life cycle within 4 weeks. The annual rains fall in late summer, and throughout the winter and early summer the eggs of Triops remain in the dried mud or dust where they may be exposed to temperatures up to 80°C. Laboratory experiments show that they can withstand temperatures up to within 1°C of boiling, but are killed in partial vacuum by 70°C, at atmospheric pressure by 100°C, or under pressure by 105°C. Exposure to high temperature seems to be necessary to break the egg diapause.