Embryonic development and newly hatched larvae of the little dragon sculpinBlepsias cirrhosus

This paper describes both embryonic development and newly hatched larval morphology of the little dragon sculpinBlepsias cirrhosus. The eggs ofB. cirrhosus are almost spherical, 3.0–3.2 mm in diameter, and have a yolk color of burnt orange. Development is very slow, being especially sluggish once the embryo appears. The embryo begins forming from the 10th day. In size, the early embryo is less than 1/6 of the yolk’s circumference. Incubation at 10°C takes about 200 days, 50 days shorter than the incubation period in a natural environment, with a mean water temperature of 11°C. The notochord length of newly-hatched larvae averages 11.1 mm. The larvae are developed so fully that the notochord is already flexing and the caudal and pectoral rays are forming.