Leptocephalus

A transparent, leaf-shaped larval stage found in eels and several related fish groups. It drifts in the ocean before metamorphosing into a juvenile fish.

Leptocephalus metamorphosis: The transformation of a leptocephalus into a juvenile fish, involving major changes in body form and physiology. This transition ends the larval stage and produces a glass eel or equivalent juvenile.
Eel: A long-bodied ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes. Eels are the best-known fishes whose life cycles include a leptocephalus stage.
Johannes Schmidt: A Danish biologist who investigated eel reproduction and the distribution of eel larvae in the Atlantic. His collections of progressively smaller larvae helped locate European eel spawning grounds.
Ichthyoplankton: The eggs and larvae of fishes drifting in the water column. Leptocephali are sampled as part of oceanic ichthyoplankton surveys.
Fish egg: The embryonic stage of a fish enclosed within an egg before hatching. Leptocephali are free-swimming larvae, unlike the immobile embryonic stage.
Marine snow: Organic particles that sink through the water column, including mucus, fecal matter, and fragments of organisms. Leptocephali feed largely on dissolved and particulate organic material associated with marine snow.
Anguilliformes: The fish order containing true eels, including morays, congers, and freshwater eels. This order includes the principal group with leptocephalus larvae.
Sargasso Sea: A region of the North Atlantic bounded by ocean currents rather than land. European and American eel larvae originate from spawning in this region.
DNA barcoding: A method for identifying organisms by comparing short, standardized DNA sequences. Genetic markers can identify leptocephali whose juvenile or adult forms are difficult to recognize.
Yolk-sac larva: A newly hatched fish larva that relies on its remaining yolk for nourishment. Leptocephali are later-feeding larvae rather than newly hatched yolk-dependent forms.

Linked from 7 pages