Morpho- Functional Observations on Ontogenic development of the Renal excretory
system in pre to post flexion stages larvae of Himalaya Snow trout Schizothorax
plagiostomus (Heckel)
Schizothorax plagiostomus is one of the most important food fish inhabiting the snow-fed tributaries of the Himalayan region. Due to nutritional value, good growth rate, high economic prospects as well as the decline in the natural habitat its commercial production is desired. Keeping in view this fact, during the present investigation by following the artificial breeding and rearing experiments an attempt has been made to understand the morpho-functional development of the renal excretory system in pre to post-flexion stages larvae. The study reveals that all the essential basic structures of the renal excretory system (pronephros) were established before the initiation of external feeding. During the post-flexion stage when the yolk sac was almost reabsorbed and larvae exclusively depend on exogenous feeding the mesonephric tubules were forming and some of them become functional i.e. presence of glomerulus to maintain the internal environment as well as efficient removal of gradually increasing amount of nitrogenous wastes. The presence of lymphoid tissues was suggesting that cell-mediated immune responses develop progressively in the Himalayan snow trout S. plagiostomus larvae.