Ontogeny of digestive enzymes in larvae of the Clown Anemonefish, Amphiprion ocellaris (Perciformes: Pomacentridae)

Introduction: The Clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is the most popular fish species in the marine aquarium trade; however, there is a lack of information on their digestive physiology during larval ontogeny, valuable information needed for diet design and management protocols. Objective: To characterize the early digestive enzymes of A. ocellaris larvae. Methods: We used three pools (10 larvae each) and extracted 10 samples per tank, from just before hatching to the 38th day. We analyzed the specific activity of acid and alkaline proteases, trypsin, chymotrypsin, leucine aminopeptidase and lipase; and did acid and alkaline protease zymograms. Results: We detected all measured enzymes at hatching. Acid proteases increased in activity until the 38th day. Alkaline proteases, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and leucine aminopeptidase had the same pattern, and maximum activity on the 8th day, decreasing at the 38th day. Lipase activity peaked on the 8th and 30th day. The acid zymogram had a single band, appearing on the 8th day. A total of eight alkaline proteases were revealed (154.2, 128.1, 104.0, 59.8, 53.5, 41.9, 36.5 and 25.1 KDa), with seven bands on the 1st day and all bands from the 3rd to 8th day, decreasing at two bands (41.9 and 25.1 KDa) in the 38th day. Conclusion: A. ocellaris has a functional stomach on the 8th day, and, on the 38th day, a digestive omnivore pattern with a tendency to carnivory.