Allometric growth in larval and juvenile blackhead seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii (Bleeker, 1854) (Peciformes: Sparidae)

Abstract

Allometric growth in larvae and juvenile blackhead seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii (Bleeker, 1854) was studied. In the larval head, snout length, snout-gill slit distance, interocular distance and mouth width showed positive allometric growth, while eye diameter and head height showed negative allometric growth. In the head of juveniles, interocular distance and mouth width showed negative allometric growth, while all other organs showed positive allometric growth. In larval body, body thickness showed positive allometric growth, while all other body parts showed negative allometric growth. In the juvenile body, caudal peduncle length, caudal peduncle height and body thickness showed positive allometric growth, while head length, body height, trunk length and tail length showed negative allometric growth. All of the larval swimming structures (the dorsal fins, pectoral fins, pelvic fins, anal fins and caudal fins) showed positive allometric growth. The rapid development of key organs in the blackhead seabream after the initiation of exogenous nutrition allows for a significant increase in viability with minimal metabolic loss. The information generated through this study can provide a framework for understanding how blackhead seabream responds developmentally to challenging external pressures during their early life.