The osteological development of the vertebral column and fins in shi drum Umbrina cirrosa was studied in order to improve knowledge for its introduction in Mediterranean aquaculture. The osteological development was studied in 171 individuals, of total length ( L T ) from 2·7 to 30·2 mm that were reared under the mesocosm technique. Vertebral ontogeny starts at 3·4 and 4·0 mm L T , with the formation of the first cartilaginous...

Swimming performance of zebrafish Danio rerio males and females initially reared in four different temperatures was assessed by measuring their relative critical swimming speed after acclimation to a common temperature. Males reared at 31° C achieved higher swimming speeds than females reared at the same temperature. Morphometric measurements indicate differences in body shape between sexes that could account for the differenc...

European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), an important species for the Mediterranean aquaculture industry, has been reported to escape from sea cage installations. Fish escapes are caused mainly by operational and technical failures that eventually result into a creation of a tear. Escapees may interact with wild stocks through interbreeding, transfer of pathogens and competition for food. The aim of this study was to examine...

The vulnerability of embryonic and larval stages of European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax to environmental temperature and the longer‐term consequences for the early juveniles was demonstrated. This phenotypic plasticity was highlighted by subjecting D. labrax at 15·2 ± 0·3 or 20·0 ± 0·4° C (mean ± s . d .) up to metamorphosis and then at the same temperature (18·5 ± 0·7° C). After 4–6 weeks at the same temperature, the measu...

To exam whether the temperature experienced by fishes at early developmental stages can influence their phenotype at subsequent stages, the model species used, European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax was subjected to water temperatures of 15 or 20° C during the half‐epiboly stage until the metamorphosis. Meristic and morphometric characters at three different stages, well after the end of the thermal treatments, were explored....

Using light and electron microscopy, a study of the development of the lateral line system of the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax , from embryo to adult, revealed that the first free neuromasts appeared on the head shortly before hatching and multiplied during the larval stage. They were aligned on the head and trunk in a pattern which corresponded to the location of future canals. The transition to the juvenile stage marked the...

At four temperatures ( T= 15, 20, 25 and 28° C) swimming performance of Dicentrarchus labrax was significantly correlated with total length (23–43 mm L T ); r 2 =0.623–0.829). The relative critical swimming speed ( RU crit = U crit L T −1 ), where U crit is the critical swimming speed, was constant throughout the L T range studied. The significant effect of temperature on the relative critical swimming speed was described bino...