Paslı Ciklit Balığının (Iodotropheus sprengerae Oliver & Loiselle, 1972) Larval Gelişimi: Morfolojik Gözlemler

OpenAlex İngilizce

This study aimed to describe the larval development stage of rusty cichlid, Iodotropheus sprengerae morphologically. The rusty cichlid is a mouth-brooding haplochromine cichlid from Lake Malawi. It is one of the most popular cichlids in the ornamental fish industry. We investigated its morphological development of I. sprengerae from hatching until the juvenile stage in the present study. The eggs were incubated at a water temperature of 29±0.5°C. Embryonic development was completed at 4 days post fertilization (=dpf). The eggs hatched at 5 dpf. In newly hatched larvae, most organs and body parts were not yet differentiated and continued to develop. The mouth and anus were closed at 1 days after hatching (=DAH). The mouth and anus were opened at 3 DAH. The yolk sac was fully absorbed at 10-11 DAH. The larvae begin to swim freely at 10-12 DAH. According to morphological findings, the larval metamorphosis of rusty cichlid I. sprengerae was completed, and the larvae transformed into juveniles at 13-15 DAH. These results indicate how early morphological development of larvae of mouth-brooding cichlids.