Ontogenetic changes in the body structure of the Arctic fish Leptoclinus maculatus

S N Pekkoeva ¹

E A Kondakova ^{2, 3}

S. Falk-Petersen ⁴

J. Berge ^{5, 6, 7}

S A Murzina ¹

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Institute of Biology, Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IB KarRC RAS), Petrozavodsk, Russia

Biological Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia |

Federal State Scientific Establishment “Berg State Research Institute on Lake and River Fisheries” (GosNIORH), St. Petersburg Branch of VNIRO, Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, St. Petersburg, Russia |

⁴

Akvaplan-Niva As, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway |

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Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway |

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The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway |

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Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway |

Publication type: Journal Article

Publication date: 2023-03-06

Springer Nature

Journal: Scientific Reports

scimago Q1

SJR: 0.900

CiteScore: 7.5

Impact factor: 3.8

ISSN: 20452322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30251-5

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Multidisciplinary

Abstract

Histological studies of the ontogenetic changes in Arctic marine fishes are often fragmented and incomplete. Here we present a comprehensive histological ontogenetic analysis of the daubed shanny (Leptoclinus maculatus) from the Arctic, characterizing its development as it undergoes a series of changes in the organ and tissue organization, especially during the postlarvae transition from the pelagic to benthic lifestyle. The thyroid, heart, digestive tract, liver, gonads, blood, and the lipid sac of the postlarvae at different developmental stages (L1–L5) were studied for the first time. We found that L. maculatus has structural characteristics of marine fish developing in cold, high-oxygen polar waters. We conclude that the presence of the lipid sac and the absence of distinguishable red blood cells in pelagic postlarvae are unique features of the daubed shanny most likely linked to its successful growth and development in the Arctic environment.