ABSTRACT. – The brine shrimp Artemia (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) lives in hypersaline lakes distributed all around the world. It is widely used as live prey in larviculture for many advantages, especially easy operation, adequate size and nutritional quality. Many sites have been exploited for its cysts, and demand of aquaculturists remains increasing. The population of A. salina Linnaeus, 1758 from Chott Marouane, a huge saline lake (3900 km2) situated in the Sahara, was reared at 3 different salinities (40, 100 and 200 ppt) using baker’s yeast and a vitamin complex as food. Larval development, growth, adult’s size, reproductive traits and life span were studied in order to provide additional data for future management and a possible exploitation. At the highest salinity tested (200 ppt), growth was slower (0.19 ± 0.16 mm.day–1 vs 0.33 ± 0.18 mm.day–1 at 40 ppt) and adult’s size decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05). This salinity was most advantageous for survival and life span. At lowest salinities, pre-adult stage was longest, reproductive traits were relatively rapid, with a precocious sexual maturity and a highest total offspring (24.8 ± 14.2 cysts/female). All the females reproduced by oviparity whatever the salinity.