Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 66 (3), 446-453 (2000)

Morphological Development and Growth of Laboratory-reared Barfin Flounder Verasper moseri

Masato Aritaki,*1 Shigenori Suzuki,*2 and Ken-ichi Watanabe*2

Morphological development and growth of larval and early juvenile berfin flounder Verasper moseri were examined in a laboratory reared series. Based on morphological characteristics, 9 developmental stages (A-I) were first determined for the present species. The newly hatched larvae were 3.65-4.78 mm in total length (TL), with unpigmented eyes, unformed mouths, and closed anuses (stage A). On 10 days after hatching, the mouth opened at 5.80-6.36 mm TL (stage C). Within 25 days after hatching, notochord flexion began at 7.39-8.87 mm in TL (stage E), and completed at 9.1-12.4 mm TL on 25-30 days after hatching. The metamorphosis characterized by the eye migration from left to right side of the body began at the larvae of 11.1 mm TL (stage G), and completed at 18.4 mm TL on 40-60 days after hatching (stage I). In those stages, melanophores were densely distributed on whole body. The weak preopercular spines appeared at 6.64-7.77 mm TL on 20 days after hatching (stage D), and disappeared at 11.1-17.1 mm TL 40-45 days after hatching (stage G). Turning points on relative growth were concentrated in stages at mouth opening, notochord flexion and metamorphosis. These corresponded to behavioral turning phases such as swimming and feeding. There was no significant morphological differences between the present reared larvae and wild larvae reported in a previous paper.


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