EFFECT OF STARVATION ON THE FEEDING ABILITY OF GILTHEAD SEABREAM (SPARUS-AURATA L) LARVAE AT 1ST FEEDING

The effect of delayed initial feeding on the ingestion ability of gilthead seabream Sparus aurata larvae was studied. The percentage of larvae with visible gut contents was maximal when food was first provided on the 5th day after hatching and decreased to half this value when provision of food was delayed until Day 8, indicating the point at which starvation became irreversible. Morphological and histological changes were studied in growing and starving larvae. Sizes of different organs increased in actively feeding larvae but decreased in unfed larvae, particularly in the case of the liver. In unfed larvae, development due to yolk reserves attained a maximum on Dav 5. The digestive tract was functional in 4-day-old larvae, which had food in the gut. The absorption process was obvious from Day 6, although it could be detected in 5-day-old larvae. Starving larvae exhibited widespread histological degeneration, especially in the digestive tract and associated glands.