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Effects of water temperature on early development of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

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Abstract

To determine an optimal temperature range for efficient production of healthy eel larvae Anguilla japonica, the effect of water temperature on hatching, survival, and deformity rates was examined. The early ontogeny of morphological features in this species by incubating eggs at five different temperatures (19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 °C) was examined. Hatching occurred at 24, 28, 46 and 58 h after fertilization when incubated at 28, 25, 22 and 19°C, respectively; no eggs hatched at 31°C The growth rate of prefeeding larvae increased as water temperature was elevated and acquisition of feeding ability was also accelerated at higher temperature. Significantly high hatching rates (76–86°, P<0.05) and survival rates (61–86%, P<0.05) were observed at relatively high temperatures (22–28°C). The deformities were ‘open lower jaw’, ‘pericardial edema’, and ‘notochordal bending’, in which the mouth was deformed with a downward projecting lower jaw, the pericardial cavity was swollen, and the notochord was bent or twisted to various degrees, respectively. Open lower jaw and pericardial edema were especially predominant at 19°C, with rates of 68 and 92%, respectively, compared with 31 and 10% at 25 and 28°C, respectively. The occurrence of notochordal bending was not affected by temperature. The optimal temperature for incubation and rearing A. japonica eggs and prefeeding larvae is approximately 25–28°C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Irago Institute Co. Ltd, 441-3605, Tahara, Aichi, Japan

    Akihiro Okamura, Yoshiaki Yamada, Noriyuki Horie, Tomoko Utoh, Naomi Mikawa, Satoru Tanaka & Katsumi Tsukamoto

  2. Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 164-8639, Tokyo, Japan

    Katsumi Tsukamoto

Authors
  1. Akihiro Okamura
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  2. Yoshiaki Yamada
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  3. Noriyuki Horie
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  4. Tomoko Utoh
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  5. Naomi Mikawa
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  6. Satoru Tanaka
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  7. Katsumi Tsukamoto
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Correspondence to Akihiro Okamura.

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Okamura, A., Yamada, Y., Horie, N. et al. Effects of water temperature on early development of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica . Fish Sci 73, 1241–1248 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1444-2906.2007.01461.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1444-2906.2007.01461.x

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