Embryonic development and morphological characteristics of larvae and juvenile of Platax teira

In order to improve the egg hatching rate and fry survival rate of Tiera batfish (Platax teira), and to provide a theoretical basis for artificial spawning and fry breeding, we observed and analyzed the temporal characteristics of embryonic and juvenile development of fertilized eggs of P. teira, and measured the morphological indexes to derive the regression equations for the growth characteristics of juvenile stages. The results show that the eggs were floating, (1.29±0.09) mm in diameter, with a tough, transparent, yellow spherical shell and a single oil globule that was not sticky. At an incubation temperature of (26±0.3) ℃, salinity of 34–36 and pH 7.8±0.5, the embryos underwent seven stages of development for 27 periods, taking 27 h 45 min. The total length of newly hatched larvae were (3.120±0.349) mm, transparent, with a large amount of branched lutein scatterring on the surface of the body, followed by the juvenile stage (0–17 d) and the larval stage (17–25 d). The juvenile stage was 25 d later, when the fin spines and fin ray were fully developed, typically with three black bands on the head, trunk and tail, and a snowy silvery body color. Statistical models show that the early stages of growth were slow, but accelerated after 7 dah. At 8 dah, the juveniles showed cannibalism and aggressive behavior.