Cobia, Rachycentron canadum has emerged as a global species
for aquaculture in the recent past. Eventhough seed production
of cobia is being practiced at many tropical countries, there is
very little information on the embryonic development of the
species. The details of fertilized eggs, cleavage, embryonic
phases and newly hatched larva are documented with
photographs. The experiments were carried out at a temperature
range of 28.5-30°C. The average diameter of the freshly
spawned eggs ranged from 1.1 to 1.2 mm. The time of different
stages of development after fertilization is provided. The larva
hatched out after 22 hours of fertilization. The total length of
the larvae ranged from 2.2 to 2.7 mm. The newly hatched larva
was without mouth opening and with a prominent oil globule.
The description given in the paper can be made use of in the
larval production of cobia in hatcheries