Thread: Baby Fish - Lavae or Fry

Larva: An insect in a state of development(displaying little or no similarity to the adult) lasting from the time of its leaving the egg until its transformation to a pupa....... Also an immature form in other animals that undergo some sort of metamorphosis...... (SOED)

So unless they undergo some sort of transformation, it would appear that it is an incorrect use of the word.

John

many fish do have a larval stage - its actually used quite commonly to determine population size and diversity in the water column

Australian Museum Larval Fishes Website
LarvalBase

fry and fingerlings come later....

Garry! And you work for AFMA!

parr




1. A young salmon in the stage when it has dark transverse bands; -- called also samlet, skegger, and fingerling.
2. A young leveret.
3. the young of various fishes

Scrabble score: 23

PARR2966

there you go, i did remember something my Dad told me when i was a kid.

Originally Posted by p38arover

Garry! And you work for AFMA!

Not for much longer.

I think it depends on what stage of growth the fish is at.... maybe.....

lavae >> fry >> fingerling >> fish

or something like that.....

Pete

Well you learn something new every day.

I have bred aquarium fish for nearly 30 years and not know this.

"Fish larvae are among the smallest free-living vertebrates. On average they measure less than 10 mm total length. The larvae hatch without having (functional) gills and depend on diffusion over their body surface during the first period of their life. As fish larvae grow rapidly , the surface to volume ratio rapidly decreases. Larvae must therefore have developed a new functional respiratory apparatus before the moment when body surface becomes insufficient to fill the respiratory needs."

So some species of fish break out of the egg before their gills are developed and breathe through their skin until their gills develop - opposite to tadpoles and frogs.

Garry

Isn't nature wonderful!