Eggs and larvae of the 'curvina' Plagioscion squamosissimus (Heckel, 1840) (Osteichthyes, Sciaenidae) in the Baia River, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

The aim of this work was to study the eggs and larvae of the‘curvina’, specifically the examination of spatialand temporal variation, location of spawning and dispersal groundsand verification of the relationship between occurrence andenvironmental variables. Sixteen collection sites were establishedin the Baía River, Brazil, and grouped into four areas.Collections were carried out between February 1999 and April2000. Spatial and temporal variations were analysed using ANOVA.Identification of the spawning and dispersal grounds was carriedout using development stage distribution. The relationship betweenoccurrence and the environmental variables was determined usingPrincipal Components Analysis (PCA) and Pearson correlation.The eggs were found in every area practically every month, almostexclusively in the initial embryo stage, while the larvae occurredin every area mainly between October and April. The correlationbetween PCA scores and organism occurrence demonstrated thatthe highest catches occurred when the values of temperature,water level and rainfall were high and those of dissolved oxygenand pH were low. This specie spawns and develops in lentic areas,and the lotic stretch serves as a dispersal route through whichthe eggs and larvae are transported.