A quick reference guide to the normal development of Oryzias latipes (Teleostei, Adrianichthyidae)

Published reports describing the normal embryo development of Oryzias latipes Temminck and Schlegel, 1846, have relied on exhaustive descriptive processes supported by a series of detailed line drawn figures representing the ideal condition for each stage. Other attempts to trace its development have reported microphotographic descriptions but either did not follow the entire development or lacked clarity and gave only a vague description. In this report, we provide a complete descriptive in vivo color atlas guide of O. latipes normal embryo development. Using the orange-red strain, intact chorionated eggs were incubated under a 16 h light, 8 h dark cycle at 25 ± 1°C. A total of 39 stages were differentiated, from the unfertilized egg to the 24-h-old fry. Our contribution is such that each stage has been photographed from different perspectives with a description made based on key features for rapid identification. This atlas is a practical tool for in vivo visualization and identification of each stage in O. latipes embryo development useful for further developmental and toxicological studies with this fish. This may as well be of help in the standardization of future protocols in which these early moments in the life of the fish may be involved. © 2005 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin.

Duke Scholars

Author David E. Hinton Environmental Sciences and Policy