NOTE Tucker and Alshuth: Development of laboratory-reared Archosargus probatocephalus 
397 
B 
1 mm 
D 
Figure 3 
Sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus , preflexion to postflexion larvae 
(preserved): (A) yolk exhaustion (4 d after hatching, 2.45 mm NL, 2.64 mm 
TL); (B) preflexion (9 dah, 3.24 mm NL, 3.47 mm TL); (C) flexion (21 dah, 4.97 
mm NL, 5.74 mm TL); and (D) prejuvenile (28 dah, 8.81 mm SL, 11.4 mm TL). 
to anus:BL was minimal at 5-9 dah and greatest at 
38 dah. Total length :BL and head depth:BL were least 
at hatching and most at 38 dah. Body depth at pel- 
vic fin:BL increased between 28 dah and 38-67 dah. 
Body depth at anus:BL decreased from 17% at 0.6 
dah to 14% at 5—6 dah, then rose to 35—36% for 28- 
and 38-day-old prejuveniles. Caudal peduncle 
depth:BL increased between 9 dah and 28-38 dah. 
At 28 dah, prejuveniles were slightly deeper than 
postflexion larvae at the pelvic fin and anus. All 
lengths and depths divided by BL were highest at 
about 38 dah. Thereafter, postanal length increased 
relatively faster than the other lengths and depths, 
leading to a decrease in proportional 
measurements, except for body depth 
at pelvic fin:BL, which was constant 
during 38-67 dah. 
Growth and survival 
Growth of sheepshead to 27.5 mm TL 
at 67 dah (Fig. 4) was similar to that 
of Caribbean sea bream (Houde and 
Potthoff, 1976). Mean dry weight rose 
from 14.5 pg (about 69 (pg wet) at 7 
dah to 88 pg (464 pg wet) at 67 dah 
(Fig. 4); mean wet weight was 7.6 g 
at 101 dah. Survival was 40% from 
fertilization to 101 dah, and 100% 
thereafter to 3 years. 
Comparison with other sparids 
Our specimens up to 9 dah (Fig. 3B) 
were younger than previously de- 
scribed sheepshead; most larvae were 
longer than those at the same stage 
illustrated by other authors (Hilde- 
brand and Cable, 1938; Mook, 1977), 
until 6 mm. The 3.9-mm TL larva in 
Fig. 3B corresponded to the 2-mm 
specimen illustrated by Mook ( 1977). 
The 6.1-mm specimen in Fig. 3C fit- 
ted between Mook’s ( 1977 ) 4- and 4.5- 
mm specimens and corresponded 
with Hildebrand and Cable’s (1938) 
ca. 6-mm specimen. The 8.9-mm 
specimen in Fig. 3D fitted between 
Mook’s (1977) 8- and 11-mm speci- 
mens. As Riley et al. (1995) have dis- 
cussed, net damage to field-caught 
larvae can shrink and distort them 
to different degrees, depending on 
species and stage. 
At 23°C, sheepshead hatched at 
~28 haf, first fed at ~84 hah ( ~ 112 haf) and exhausted 
their yolk and oil by ~96 hah (-124 haf). At 26°C, 
Caribbean sea bream hatched by -22 haf, first fed at 
about 35 hah (-57 haD, and exhausted yolk by 50 
hah (-72 haf) (Houde and Potthoff, 1976). Eggs of 
gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata (native to the 
Mediterranean region), with a mean diameter of 
1,020 pm, are larger than those of sheepshead and 
Caribbean sea bream (Table 3) and contain about 
twice as much yolk and oil (Ronnestad et al., 1994). 
At 25 haf, gilthead sea bream eggs had 430 nL yolk 
and 5.8 nL oil, but sheepshead had only 184 nL yolk 
and 3.6 nL oil. At 18°C (first 6 h at 15-18°C), gilthead 
