First observation of larval oarfish, Regalecus russelii, from fertilized eggs through hatching, following artificial insemination in captivity.

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the life history of oarfish of the genus Regalecus, although it is a famous deep-sea fish and an apparent origin of sea serpent legends. We successfully performed artificial insemination using a recently dead pair of sexually mature individuals. We report for the first time development from fertilized eggs to early larvae in the Lampridiformes.

Results: Eggs required 18 days of development from fertilization to hatching under 20.5-22.5 °C conditions. Oarfish larvae had similar morphological features as other lampridiform larvae hatched in the ocean. Larvae typically faced downward and swam using pectoral fins; they frequently opened their mouths. This mouth-opening behavior and swimming ability were both consistent with osteological development. The larvae did not eat and died four days after hatching.

Conclusions: This is the first successful instance of artificial insemination and hatching in the oarfish, as well as the first reliable morphological and behavioral description of lampridiform larvae.