THE EMBRYOLOGY OF THE ATLANTIC SALMON (SALMO SALAR LINNAEUS)

Series of eggs collected at various Canadian Atlantic Coast Hatcheries from 1934 to 1940 were used as the bases for a survey of the embryology of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) from fertilization to hatching. Early developmental stages from cleavage to the delineation of the embryonic shield a...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Research
Main Author: Battle, Helen I.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1944
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjr44d-008
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjr44d-008
Description
Summary:Series of eggs collected at various Canadian Atlantic Coast Hatcheries from 1934 to 1940 were used as the bases for a survey of the embryology of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) from fertilization to hatching. Early developmental stages from cleavage to the delineation of the embryonic shield are described. Somite formation commences when the embryonic axis is between 1 and 2 mm. in length, and is complete shortly after closure of the blastopore when 60 somites are evident at an embryonic length of 6 mm. Following this the embryo takes on a progressively more fish-like form until hatching.The temperature of the water during most of the incubation period is relatively constant (0.5 °C. to 1 °C.) and the embryonic length data when plotted over this period fit the requirements for straight-line curves. The variation in the thermal units required to reach the same stage in different series indicates that their validity as criteria for determining comparable stages in embryonic development is doubtful.Periods of greatest mortality in development occur during cleavage and blastoderm formation to the closure of the blastopore and at hatching.