Sparidae L III E11

Crenidens crenidens (Forsskål, 1775)

White Karanteen

Egg diameter in µm	Number of oil globules	Diameter of oil globule in µm	Yolk texture	Perivitelline space	Position of oil globule at hatch	Gut length   at eye- pigment stage	Myomeres
720-770	1	180	clear	narrow	stern	39% of NL	24

Egg: The yellow pigment tends to be pale in this egg, sometimes almost white (A), with a pair of big white “muffs” behind the eyes. There is no pigment on the yolk. The clear oil globule becomes covered in yellow pigment during late incubation. Incubation is 24-28 hours.

Larva: Pigment colour rapidly changes to brownish-yellow in the newly hatched larva (B). The 2-day larva (C) is distinctive due to its elongate form, short gut and brownish-yellow pigment pattern. Within 4 days all yellow has disappeared, except for remnants in the head and trunk (E). The 12-day larva is still preflexion (F), but flexion is complete in the 25-day larva (G) Note the line running from nose to tail, at the level of the pupil (G & H). B: 1day, C: 2 days, D: 3 days, E: 4 days, F: 12 days, G: 25 days, H: 28 days, I: 49 days, J: 9 months (21-22°C).

This larva proved easy to rear, yielding a good growth series. Five hatched larvae have been sequenced, matching 5 adult C. crenidens collected in Durban harbour (BOLD).

This egg was relatively common in the DHM samples (Table 2: Introductory Notes), spawning from June to January, although, curiously, over the 5 years of collecting, none were collected in any December samples. They have never been seen in the Park Rynie samples, which is expected, as the species has not been recorded from any KwaZulu-Natal estuaries south of Durban (Harrison 2003). The species is also unrecorded from any estuaries between Durban and Richards Bay, where they are quite common (Weerts 2002). Durban Harbour thus contains the only known breeding stock of this species south of Richard Bay, underlining the harbour’s important ecological function (see comments under Acanthopagrus vagus as well). The egg was also found in St Lucia in September 1993 and August and September 1994 (Connell, 1996), from which a batch of juveniles was reared.