Metamorphose

Marie Sibylla Merian, geboren 1647 in Frankfurt am Main, arbeitete als Künstlerin und Entomologin, in der beginnenden vierten Großepoche Neuzeit, die mit der Renaissance und dem Humanismus begann. Als Tochter des Verlegers und Kupferstechers Matthäus Merian dem Älteren erhielt sie die Möglichkeit, in einem Gebiet tätig zu werden, das für eine Frau ihrer Zeit nicht selbstverständlich war.

In anuran amphibians, cranial bones typically first form at metamorphosis when they rapidly invest or replace the cartilaginous larval skull. We describe early development of the first three bones to form in the Oriental fire-bellied toad, Bombina orientalis—the parasphenoid, the frontoparietal, and the exoccipital—based on examination of serial sections. Each of these bones is fully differentiated by Gosner stage 31 (hindlimb in paddle stage) during premetamorphosis. This is at least six Gosner developmental stages before they are first visible in whole-mount preparations at the beginning of prometamorphosis. Thus, developmental events that precede and mediate the initial differentiation of these cranial osteogenic sites occur very early in metamorphosis—a period generally considered to lack significant morphological change. Subsequent development of these centers at later stages primarily reflects cell proliferation and calcified matrix deposition, possibly in response to increased circulating levels of thyroid hormone which are characteristic of later metamorphic stages. Interspecific differences in the timing of cranial ossification may reflect one or both of these phases of bone development. These results may qualify the use of whole-mount preparations for inferring the sequence and absolute timing of cranial ossification in amphibians.

A sample of 20 metamorphosing conger eel Conger conger leptocephali were collected from the Minho River, Portugal, in February 1999 and their sagittal otoliths were analysed by scanning electron microscopy. Four different etching agents were applied along both sagittal and frontal sections during otolith preparation to examine the microstructural growth in this species. Otolith growth increments were visible throughout the increment countable zone using all four treatments, but a permanent peripheral diffuse zone, where the daily increments were unclear, appeared on all otoliths, preventing accurate age estimation. To understand more about the nature of the diffuse zone, otoliths of 10 other metamorphosing leptocephali reared in aquaria were marked by immersion in tetracycline hydrochloride. The distance between the fluorescent marks and otolith edge, measured over a fixed period of time, was used to estimate the otolith growth rate. The application of this technique led to an anomalously high estimated otolith growth rate, probably as a result of the capture, marking and handling stress.

Larval resistance to temporary starvation is considered a key factor for successful development in the wild. Subjecting larvae to temporary starvation during early and/or late development is occasionally used in larviculture to reduce production costs.Mithraculus forceps is a popular species in the marine aquarium industry for their ability to control nuisance algae in aquarium tanks; a larval culture methodology was previously proposed in order to avoid collection from the wild. In an attempt to reduce production/feeding costs of M. forceps larval culture (two zoea stages and a megalopa), larvae (megalopa stage) were starved after 7 and 8 days post-hatch (DPH); starvation treatments were compared with those of the control treatment where larvae were fed continuously. No differences were found in survival to juvenile, metamorphosis synchronism or larval duration between the treatments, which suggest that at least by day 7 DPH, megalopae have already achieved the point-of-reserve-saturation (PRS) and are able to successfully metamorphose to crab stage without feeding (facultative lecithotrophic); newly metamorphosed juveniles are slightly smaller (particularly the ones starved after 7DPH). This flexible way of development might be very advantageous in the wild and might allow the reduction of costs of larval culture in captivity.

Otolith microstructure and microchemistry of the tropical eel Anguilla bicolor pacifica Schmidt were examined in glass eels collected at the mouth of the Dumoga River, North Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Ages of the glass eels examined (age at recruitment) ranged from 124 to 202 d (167 ± 19.3 d; mean ± SD), hatching being estimated as having occurred between November 1995 and March 1996. Otolith increment widths markedly increased from age 101 to 172 d (135 ± 18.2 d; mean ± SD), coincident with a drastic decrease in otolith Sr:Ca ratios, suggesting that metamorphosis began during that period. The duration of metamorphosis was estimated as 20 to 40 d, on the basis of otolith microstructural characteristics. The fluctuation patterns in otolith increment widths and Sr:Ca ratios were similar to those of the temperate Japanese eel A. japonica.

Competent cyprid larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite Darwin were prevented from metamorphosing in the laboratory for 3 or 5 d using three different techniques (holding at low temperature, crowding, and detaining on a silanized surface). We then assessed the effects of prolonging larval life on post-metamorphic growth and survival, in comparison with control individuals that metamorphosed soon after they

Les quelques observations qui suivent constituent les premisses d’une recherche en cours sur les implications de la presence d’images, et/ou de decor, sur ces volumes que sont les vases grecs, en particulier les vases produits a Athenes entre le VIe et le Ve siecle av. J.-C. Une mise en vase, en tridimensionnalite, des images dont il s’agira de percevoir en quoi elle constitue une experience radicalement differente de la mise en page, sur un support a deux dimensions, qui nous est si coutumie...

Different biological films reportedly effective in larval settlement of other abalone species were tested on the tropical abalone Haliotis asinina to determine the most effective settlement inducers for the species. Larval attachment was significantly higher on mucus, Navicula, Navicula+mucus, and mixed diatoms+mucus than on mixed diatoms and the blank control. Metamorphosis was significantly higher on Navicula, Navicula+mucus. These results indicate