Spawning Behavior and Morphological Development of the Larvae and Juveniles of the Corydoras aeneus(Pisces, Callichthyidae)

Thus, this study purposed to investigate the spawning behavior of C. aeneus albinos and the morphological development of its larvae and juveniles and to use the results as basic data for the growth of fancy fish and taxonomic research. The broodstock (overall length 6.20~7.25 ㎝, mean 6.60±0.35 ㎝) used in this experiment was purchased from an aquarium in Pohang City, Gyeongsangbuk-do in January 2015, and two male and two female individuals were put in a rectangular glass water tank (45×30×35 ㎝) and grown in the type of recirculation. The egg was globular in shape, its color was white and opaque, and it was a demersal egg of high viscosity. Egg size was 1.64~1.82 ㎜ (mean 1.70±0.08 ㎜). Fertilized eggs began to hatch after 50 hours. Pre-larvae just after hatching were 4.35~4.68 ㎜ in overall length (mean 4.43±0.14 ㎜), their mouth and anus did not open, and they kept the yolk. Post-larvae on day 15 after hatching were 9.98~10.2 ㎜ long (mean 10.1±0.09 ㎜), the barbels around the mouth developed like saw teeth, and the dorsal, ventral, and anal fins, which had been membranous, were separated. Juveniles on day 35 after hatching were 18.3~18.7 ㎜ long (mean 18.5±0.16 ㎜). They did not have melanophore throughout the entire body and the gill openings and abdomen were deposited with golden chromophore.