Abstract:Sinibrama taeniatus is a rare and unique small economic fish found in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, including the Qinjiang, Qingyi, Jialing, and Dadu Rivers. In recent years, due to the Three Gorges Project and overfishing, wild populations of S. taeniatus have decreased sharply. Water temperature is a critical factor for newly hatched larvae, significantly affecting growth, differentiation, and survival. Determination of the optimal water conditions for S. taeniatus growth performance is essential to maximize production. To explore the effects of temperature on the growth and survival of S. taeniatus larvae and juveniles, an experiment was conducted at 16℃, 19℃, 22 ℃, 25℃, 28℃ and 31℃. The entire developmental process was divided into four stages: Larvae feeding, disappearance of the yolk sac, appearance of the scales, and intact scales. The length of each stage (in days) was counted, and the growth parameters such as total length and weight were measured. The results showed that the development process accelerated with increasing water temperature. The time to intact scales in the 28℃ and 31℃ groups was shorter than in the other temperature groups but did not differ from the 25℃ group. At 80 days of development, the body weight of S. taeniatus in the 25℃ and 28℃ groups was significantly heavier, especially in the 28℃ group. With increasing temperatures, the survival rate of S. taeniatus larvae and juveniles initially increased and then decreased. The survival rate was higher at 22℃~28℃, and the composition survival rate was highest at 25℃. The correlation coefficients of the fitting function between total length (L) and the days after hatching (D) were greater than 0.99, indicating that a cubic growth function properly reflects growth at different temperatures. Based on the development process, growth index, and survival rates of S. taeniatus larvae and juveniles, 25℃~28℃ is the optimal temperature range for S. taeniatus production.
