Eggs and Larvae of the Sabre-toothed Oyster Blenny, Dasson steadi (Whitley)

Abstract

The eggs of the sabre-toothed oyster blenny, Dasson steadi (Whitley), are spawned in shallow pools between tide marks in estuaries. They are deposited in masses cemented in a single layer to the interior surfaces of discarded shells of bivalve molluscs. During development they are attended by the male parent. Hatching is spread over a prolonged period. The yolksac is absorbed about 1 week after hatching, by which time the larvae have developed functional teeth and ingest unicellular organisms. Egg and larval stages are described from naturally spawned material maintained under laboratory conditions for 17 days.