The Embryology and Larval Development of the Goldfish (Carassius Auratus L.) from Lake Erie

Osburn (1901) noted that the common goldfish (Carassius auratus L.) had escaped from cultivation in some parts of Ohio and as early as 1888 was reported by Henshall as "not rare in the canal basin near Elmwood, Hamilton County." The species has become quite common in Lake Erie in shallow parts, especially bays and creek mouths (Greeley, 1928). It has been reported by fishermen off the north shore at Port Stanley where it is said to attain a length of 14 to 15 inches. The description of its early development has not, however, been included by Mrs. Fish (1932) probably because it is not an indigenous species. The goldfish and other Cyprinidae have long been used by geneticists, and also by embryologists, for specialized studies in fish development. However, other than the account by Khan (1929) and the illustrations by Dr. F. J. Myers in the volume by Innes (1936) an adequate description of the general features of its embryonic and larval development is lacking. The following account is an attempt to fill this gap since the goldfish is becoming increasingly important not only from the standpoint of the ornamental fish trade, and as an experimental test animal, but also because of its ability to adapt itself successfully to environmental conditions in Lake Erie.