New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

---

Egg and larval development of the New Zealand hoki Macruronus novaezelandiae

GRAHAM J. PATCHELL

MICHAEL S. ALLEN

DAVID J. DREADON

Fisheries Research Centre Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries P. O. Box 297, Wellington New Zealand

Abstract The hoki Macruronus novaezelandiae (Macruroninae: Merlucciidae) is one of the most common fish species in the New Zealaid region. Hoki are widely distributed in subtrcpical and subantarctic water from c. 34° S to 54° S, with a depth range of less than 10 m to over 930 m. The eggs are positively buoyant, 1.01-1.: 4 mm in diameter (mean 1.07 mm), spherical with a smooth chorion and homogeneous yolk containing a single oil droplet c. 0.33 mm in diameter. Embryonic development takes 80 hours at 12 °C and the newly hatched larva is c. 2.2 mm in length. In artificially reared larvae the mouth begins to fornj 96 hours after hatching. After 5 days the yolk saC is almost completely absorbed, the mouth developed and the intestinal tract opened. Hoki eggs develop more quickly than eggs of species of Merlucci is at similar temperatures. The size range of hoki eggs overlaps with those of other species spawning in the same area and time. Melanophore patterns are described which allow distinction of late-stage eggs and the larvae.

Keywords Merlucciidae; Macruroninae; hoki; eggs; larvae

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1987, Vol. 21: 301-313 0028-8330/87/2102-0309$2.50/0 © Crown copyright 1987 Received 17 June 1986; accepted 12 March 1987

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (995K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

---

This year's abstracts | Journal home page | All abstracts | Publishing home page