Distribution, growth and transformation timing of larval Geotria australis in New Zealand

Lamprey, Geotria australis, are widely distributed in New Zealand and are common in streams and rivers of the west coast of both islands, the southern tip of the North Island, the Banks Peninsula and the southern coast of the South Island. In fresh water, lamprey are found in association with all substrate types but are most commonly (> 50% of the sample sites) found in association with finer gravels. There is insufficient evidence to determine any change in historically abundant adult spawning migrations. Spawning, back calculated from larval growth rates, probably occurs late November-December, and emergence at 9.63 mm occurs in January. We estimate that, on average, ammocoetes grow 0.068 mm/day throughout the year, and metamorphose and emigrate to sea between January-May, 3.5 years after spawning at 101 mm (SD = 6.7).     

Acceptability of various microparticulate diets to first-feeding walleye Stizostedion vitreum larvae

The acceptability of eight diets made by a wide variety of microparticulate manufacturing processes was studied using first-feeding walleye Stizostedion vitreum larvae. Diets were formulated using a common dietary mix but differed in manufacture technique. The microparticulate diets fed were (1) carrageenan bound, (2) alginate bound, (3) starch/konjack bound, (4) microextruded/maurmurized (MEM), (5) zein bound, (6) carboxymethyl cellulose bound (CMC), (7) particle-assisted rotationally agglomerated (PARA) and (8) a commercial microparticulate diet (Fry Feed Kyowa B-700, FFK). Controls were groups fed live Artemia nauplii and unfed. Gut fullness was measured as the cross-sectional optical area of the bolus visible through the transparent body of the larvae using computer-aided image analysis. Feeding incidence on MEM particles (71 ± 8%, mean ± standard error), zein-bound particles (69 ± 7%), alginate-bound particles (68 ± 2%) and PARA particles (65 ± 6%) were not significantly different ( P   0.05) from the feeding incidence for Artemia (71 ± 6%). FFK (49 ± 14%) and particles bound with carboxymethyl cellulose (27 ± 0.07%), starch (21 ± 10%) or carrageenan (20 ± 0.8%) had significantly ( P  < 0.05) lower feeding incidence. Larvae that did initiate feeding did not differ significantly ( P  > 0.05) in the amount of each microparticulate diet or Artemia consumed. This data indicates that once first-feeding walleye start on a diet, they will consume that diet to a similar fixed level of satiation. Given the differences in the amounts of water and nutrients in the various diets, more nutrients were delivered to the gut of walleye larvae feeding on microparticulate diets than on the Artemia control.     

Evaluation of a spray-dried artificial diet for larval culture of freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, and striped bass, Morone saxatilis

Larvae of the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man), and the striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), were fed artificial diets manufactured by a spray-drying process or live Artemia nauplii , separately or in various combinations. Spray-dried diets were neutrally buoyant, water stable (low protein leaching rate), and were satisfactorily consumed as verified by the observation of full guts after feeding. Survival and growth of larvae fed live Artemia nauplii was significantly greater than those of larvae fed spray-dried diets. Lowest survival and growth rates were observed when larvae were fed artificial diets exclusively from the onset of exogenous feeding. Survival rates were positively related to the duration of feeding live Artemia nauplii before weaning to artificial diets. The poor performance associated with spray-dried artificial diets may be the result of the digestive capabilities of the larvae of caridean shrimp and striped bass being insufficient to process compact, dense particles.     

Laboratory assessment of sea lamprey larvae burrowing performance

Abstract –  To study the burrowing behaviour and performance of larval sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus L.), 120 ammocoetes were collected and observed in the laboratory. Burrowing movements of ammocoetes placed in an aquarium with sediments of differing grain size were video recorded. The video was reviewed and, for each larva, the total time spent moving, the number of stops during the burrowing movement, the total time spent stopped and total time elapsed until complete withdrawal below the substrate surface was registered. Smaller ammocoetes had lower burrowing performance than larger individuals, across all substrate types, but the differences were greater in coarser substrates. Additionally, coarser sediment particles increased the time spent on burrowing regardless of larval size.     

不同饵料对二次抱卵期间中华绒螯蟹生殖性能和HUFA组成的影响

中华绒螯蟹(Eriocheir sinensis)经一次受精便可多次产卵.与其他的虾类一样,在卵巢发育过程中,中华绒螯蟹的肝胰脏需从外界汲取许多能量和营养物质,通过血淋巴转移到卵巢以供胚胎发育和幼体孵化.亲蟹的营养需求可以通过第一次和第二次卵巢发育过程加以研究.第一次抱卵之后亲蟹消耗了大量的营养和能量物质,需要在二次抱卵前的短时间内得到及时补充.通常来说,二次抱卵蟹的产卵力低下,幼体质量差.因此研究饵料对二次抱卵期间中华绒螯蟹生殖性能和幼体质量的影响是很有意义的.本实验分4组,分别以3种天然饵料缢蛏(TC)、沙蚕(TS)、杂鱼(TT)和一种人工饵料(TA)投喂中华绒螯蟹亲蟹,投喂周期为2个月(从初始一次抱卵至二次抱卵结束).天然饵料和人工饵料的日投喂量分别为亲蟹体重的10%和1%～3%,每日下午4点投喂.用PVC板将8m2的玻璃纤维槽隔成4个单元作为试验槽.每个单元底面积为2m2,水深40 Cm.同一槽中的3个单元用做一个试验组的3个重复,每个重复为10只蟹.海水盐度为20 g·L,pH 8.20～8.30,溶解氧为8.40～8.90 mg·L-1,依据水中氨氮和亚硝酸氮的浓度(分别小于1 mg·L-1和0.2 mg·L-1),每2至3天换一次水,水温为15～17℃.实验结束后,对二次抱卵亲蟹的生殖性能(相对饱卵量、卵径和亲蟹成活率)、孵化出的幼体质量(蚤Ⅰ幼体在饥饿状态下的成活率)以及卵、卵巢和肝胰脏的脂肪酸组成进行了测定.结果表明,卵、卵巢和肝胰脏的高级不饱和脂肪酸(HUFA)组成与试验饵料的组成具有很好的相关性,其中卵的DHA与EPA水平、肝胰脏DHA水平与饵料中相应的HUFA水平成正相关(R2＞0.90),说明外界营养物质的吸收和转移对卵巢的二次发育相当重要.统计学分析表明,投喂杂鱼的亲蟹(TT)孵出的蚤Ⅰ幼体对饥饿的耐受力以及投喂缢蛏的亲蟹(TC)的卵径显著高于其他组,各组之间其他指标(相对抱卵量和成活率等)均无显著差异.二次抱卵的中华绒螯蟹的卵、卵巢和肝胰脏中HUFA的水平与试验饵料中HUFA水平具有很好的相关性,说明无论在第一次卵巢发育过程中积聚了多少营养物质,第一次抱卵后消耗殆尽的亲蟹需要从外界食物中汲取大量的能量和营养物质,通过肝胰脏转运到卵巢供二次发育之用.本研究结论与其他作者对其他甲壳类的研究结果是一致的.此外组织器官的HUFA水平不只局限于饵料HUFA水平,还受器官本身对这些脂肪酸特定需求的影响.肝胰脏作为甲壳类动物的脂肪存储器,在饵料中的脂类物质被吸收和利用之前首先将其存储起来.甲壳类动物具有合成更长链的脂肪酸能力,虽然这种能力很有限,但仍能重新合成一定数量的脂肪酸.由于卵巢和卵中的n-3 HUFA,尤其是EPA和DHA含量高于肝胰脏,因此有理由相信它们在中华绒螯蟹繁殖过程中起着非常重要的作用.用人工饵料投喂对中国对虾的研究表明,n-3 HUFA的水平与亲本的生殖性能有很大关系,其中EPA与产卵量有很大的关系,而DHA在胚胎发育早期和幼体孵化起着很大的作用.本实验结果可以推论,EPA和DHA对中华绒螯蟹的卵巢的发育和生殖性能具有相当重要的作用,其中EPA的作用更加明显.遗憾的是本实验没有得出非常明显的相关性结论.应该指出的是本实验所用的不同饵料,不但HUFA含量不同,而且在蛋白质、总脂和微量营养素(维他命、矿物质、胆固醇、磷脂、钙盐等)的组成上差异很大,因此不宜下确定的结论.     

Effect of different sources and levels of dietary phospholipids on performances and fatty acid composition of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) larvae

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary phospholipids (PL) sources (fish gonad G‐PL and soybean lecithin S‐PL) and levels (50 and 90 g kg^?1 dry matter) on the performances and fatty acid (FA) composition of pikeperch larvae. From day 10 to day 34 posthatching (p.h.), larvae were fed with three isoproteic and isolipidic microdiets. The best results of growth and skeletal development were related to a high phospholipid level regardless of their origin and FA profile. Jaw deformities seemed associated with high dietary highly unsaturated FA (HUFA) level. The optimal level of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA) for pikeperch larvae appeared to be around 12 g kg^?1 (dry matter) associated with a PL level around 90 g kg^?1. FA composition of diets and larvae revealed a better incorporation of arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA into PL fraction especially in larvae fed with soybean PL. Moreover, 34‐day‐old pikeperch larvae may have capability of converting 18 carbon n‐3 FA into the n‐3 HUFA. Hence, for pikeperch larvae, PL from plant origin were as efficient as those from marine fish origin.     

Importance of the relative levels of dietary arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid for culture performance of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) larvae

The effect of different arachidonic acid (ARA) dietary contents at several dietary eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels on the growth, survival and biochemical composition of gilthead seabream larvae was studied to better define the importance of this fatty acid as a function of EPA. Larvae of 18 days were fed one of the five isonitrogenous and isolipidic microdiets with three different EPA (0.3%, 2% and 4%) and ARA amounts (0.1%, 0.6% and 1.2%). Although a dietary increase in either ARA or EPA alone did not improve survival significantly, the increase in both fatty acids significantly enhanced growth and survival, suggesting an optimum dietary value of EPA:ARA close to 4:1.2. Dietary ARA was more efficiently incorporated into larval tissues than EPA. Increased dietary EPA or ARA contents reduced the incorporation of ARA or EPA into larval lipids, indicating their competition as substrates for different enzymes. The possible negative effect of further elevation of dietary ARA and its competition with EPA for phospholipids synthesis deserves further studies in marine fish larvae.     

Distribution, larval stage duration and growth of the sea lamprey ammocoetes, Petromyzon marinus L., in a highly modified river basin

Abstract  – Larval stage duration of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus , in the River Mondego is estimated to last for 4 years. The number of annuli provides reliable age estimates when compared with length–frequency distributions analysis. The growth rate of the sea lamprey ammocoetes displays strong seasonal patterns, and reaches its highest value during the first 2 years of larval stage. About 69% of the length increment between hatching and metamorphosis is attained at the end of the second year. There is a longitudinal gradient associated with ammocoete distribution along the river. Relative abundance of ammocoetes decreases downstream from the Açude-Ponte dam, the first obstruction encountered by the adult sea lampreys in their upstream spawning migration along the River Mondego.     

Comparative digestive enzyme ontogeny in two marine larval fishes: Pacific threadfin (Polydactylus sexfilis) and bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus)

The specific activity of digestive enzymes; aspartic and serine protease, collagenase, lipase, acid and alkaline amylase, acid and alkaline phosphatase, and chitinase was assayed throughout early development in two species of marine fishes: the Pacific threadfin (Polydactylus sexfilis) and bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus). Specific enzyme activities were determined on whole larval extracts sampled at selected stages of development, from day 0 to day 30 post-hatching. Similar developmental patterns of enzyme specific activity were observed in the two species, although differences in timing, amplitude and effects of first feeding were noted. Amylase activity increased prior to first feeding, peaking at the middle of the larval period, and becoming nearly undetectable by the time of larval-to-juvenile metamorphosis. Serine protease, collagenase, lipase and alkaline (and acid for threadfin) phosphatase activities increased gradually, followed by sharp increases to a plateau during the second half of larval development. Aspartic protease and chitinase activities, in addition to acid phosphatase (for trevally), were low to undetectable in the first half of development, increasing through metamorphosis. In the trevally only, this group of enzymes exhibited high activity levels at the time of hatching, followed by a precipitous drop. Species-dependent differences in enzyme specific activity at first feeding may have been a result of differences in yolk utilization. These results, taken in the context of earlier reports, lead us to conclude that carbohydrate utilization may play a significant role in the earlier phases of development among some marine larvae, followed by a shift to protein and lipid utilization.     

Neuroendocrine control of reproduction in lampreys

In most vertebrate classes, the hypothalamus and pituitary have well-defined roles in the control of reproduction. Until recently, there was little evidence for neuroendocrine control of reproduction in lampreys, one of the only two living representative groups of the oldest lineage of vertebrates, the Agnathans. The question whether there is hypothalamic control over reproduction has special significance since these fishes, with the hagfishes, are modern descendants of the most primitive vertebrates available for study. This paper summarizes the studies on the structure and function of lamprey GnRH which provide evidence for the regulatory influence of the hypothalamus on the pituitary-gonadal axis. These data imply that evolution of this mechanism most likely antedated the origin of all known vertebrates.