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Early Morphological Development of the Green Sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus, and its separation from other larval Lepomis species
Author(s) -
Taubert Bruce D.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1977)106<445:emdotg>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - lepomis , larva , biology , zoology , centrarchidae , fishery , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , micropterus
Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) held at 24–27 C hatched in 35–55 h at total lengths (TL) of 3.5 to 3.7 mm and swam up by 145 h when about 6 mm TL. The eyes were pigmented when the fish exceeded 4 mm TL, and the number of melanophores on the body increased thereafter. Melanophores on the head were present in the protolarvae (5.0–5.1 mm TL) and were important in separating green sunfish from other Lepomis spp. Pectoral fin buds were present at hatching and all fins were distinguishable by 16 days after fertilization; however, adult meristic counts were not present until 22 days after fertilization. Green sunfish had more preanal (13) and fewer postanal (15) myomeres than other larval Lepomis spp. Green sunfish had a supra‐anal melanophore and a singly looped, S‐shaped intestine common to most Lepomis spp.