Early development of Lamprey Lampetra japonica (Martens, 1868)

Abstract

Studies of lamprey early development have produced major insights into primitive developmental patterns and the evolution of vertebrates. In this study, the effectiveness of the morphological and histological characteristics of Lampetra japonica during embryological, yolk-sac larval and ammocoete stages were examined. Based on the external and histological morphology, the embryological phase was divided into eight stages, including the zygote, cleavage, blastula, gastrula, neural plate and groove, head protrusion, prehatching and hatching stages. A set of key morphological and histological transformations occurred through the yolk-sac larval stage, reflecting the larva-ammocoete transition. In the ammocoete stage, all organ systems were differentiated. Except for the melanophores, the lamprey did not develop any further morphological complexity beyond the ammocoete stage. The total length and body weight of larva and ammocoete generally increased over time. We hope that this study might form the basis for future studies of the phylogenetic development of this interesting group of animals.