Development of the head skeleton of the Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes (Teleostei)

The identification, spatial relationships, and sequences of development of the cartilaginous and bony elements of the chondrocranium, osteocranium, and splanchnocranium in the medaka, Oryzias latipes, are described here for the first time. The development of the cartilaginous head skeleton commences at stage 29 and is essentially complete by stage 35 (hatching). The parasphenoid bone and two pairs of branchiostegals are present at this stage and several other replacement and dermal bones begin to appear shortly thereafter. Development of the osteocranium and ossification of the splanchnocranium continue throughout the larval and juvenile phases and are essentially complete at sexual maturity at approximately 3 months (at 25°C), at which time the fish range in length between 25 and 30 mm. The description of the adult head skeleton of O. latipes is compared to those of O. melastigma, O. luzonesis, and other Oryzias spp. previously described and a redesignation of the relationships between certain elements in the adult head skeleton is proposed, based on the developmental data presented. Furthermore, the value of the medaka as a model teleost to study the embryological origins of, and in particular, the neural crest contributions to, the cranial and visceral skeleton is outlined based on certain characteristics of the medaka's life history traits. These include the ease of obtaining embryos for which the exact time of fertilization is known (without sacrificing any brood stock) and the relatively rapid development of the chondrocranium, which is nearly complete at hatching, a process which can occur in as short a time as 6 days (at 34°C). The usefulness of the ontogenetic data obtainable from further studies into the embryonic origins of head and visceral skeletal elements revealed in the present study, is briefly discussed.