Growth and respiration of embryos and larvae of the rabbittish Siganus randalli (Pisces, Siganidae)

Growth and respiration of larval rabbitfish from Guam were examined. Larvae were reared from eggs in 2- to 10-ton tanks and were fed rotifers, Anemia , and artificial feed in succession as development proceeded through metamorphosis. Growth in length was rapid during the 12 h after hatching, then slowed until the larvae began to feed. The yolk sac was usually absorbed by 36 h after hatching. Rates of respiration of larvae and eggs were determined with a dissolved oxygen electrode at various times through development. Larval metabolism increased steadily during the embryonic stages culminating in a metabolic burst immediately after hatching. Respiration rates remained relatively stable from shortly after hatching until the onset of exogenous feeding, after which respiration rates increased with larval size. The respiration rates of post-yolk-sac larvae scaled isometrically with larval dry mass. Daily growth of feeding larvae was 27 to 28% of larval dry mass.