전어 (Konosirus punctatus) 자치어의 체형변화 및 비늘형성

Morphological Changes and Scale Formation in Juvenile Konosirus punctatus

In the study, we observed the morphological changes and scale formation of Konosirus punctatus juvenile, which are collected from he estuary of the Mankyeong River and fertilized using artificial insemination. The hatched juveniles were sorted 15 per day, and the relative growth was assessed through measurements of total length, standard length, anus length, and body height. The process of scale formation was also observed in the hatched juveniles. Regarding morphological changes, body length showed consistent relative growth from immediately after hatching to the juvenile stage. Body height exhibited higher relative growth values than the overall length starting from the post-larval stage. The head length showed consistent relative growth until the post-larval stage and then decreased. The anus length showed low relative growth until the post-larval stage but increased steadily from the juvenile stage onwards. Scales first appeared in the post-larval stage and completed scale formation throughout the body just before transitioning to the juvenile stage, starting from the posterior part of the operculum, above the pectoral fin, at the anterior part of the anal fin, and the posterior part of the anal fin. These research results can be used for management and protection of fish species as resources of biological characteristics.