During the early ontogeny of fish larvae, the accurate development of the visual system plays a key role, because it is involved in locating food, orientation, selection of favorable habitat, and evasion of predators. The structure of the eye of the fish is typical of vertebrates, with some modifications related to the aquatic environment. In the present work, we describe the development of the larval eye of Engraulis anchoita for the first time. Larvae were collected at the Permanent Station of Environmental Studies (EPEA) in coastal waters of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean during research cruises in 2015 and 2016. We describe the histology of the retina layers, determine the beginning of the functionality of the eye, and discuss a possible synchronization with the development of the digestive tract. This study provides information about the biology of E. anchoita, the most abundant fish species in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Also, recent studies have shown responses of the retina and other tissues to the increase in environmental acidity. Therefore, results of this study are also discussed with respect to the possible effect of acidification on the larvae of this species. The continuity of the time series developed at the EPEA will allow monitoring the effect of long‐term environmental and biological variables on the early ontogeny of anchovy in the context of climate change. The high commercial fishing potential of E. anchoita due to its high abundance, as well as its essential role in the trophic web of other commercially valuable fishing resources of Argentina, reinforce the need to continue deepening knowledge about this species.

中文翻译：

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凤尾鱼幼虫视觉系统的发育，Engraulis anchoita：微观解剖学描述

在鱼类幼体的早期个体发育过程中，视觉系统的准确发育起着关键作用，因为它涉及定位食物、定向、选择有利栖息地以及躲避捕食者。鱼眼的结构是脊椎动物的典型结构，但有一些与水生环境有关的修改。在目前的工作中，我们首次描述了 Engraulis anchoita 幼虫眼的发育。在 2015 年和 2016 年的研究巡航期间，在西南大西洋沿海水域的环境研究永久站 (EPEA) 收集了幼虫。我们描述了视网膜层的组织学，确定了眼睛功能的开始，并讨论了可能与消化道的发育同步。这项研究提供了有关 E. anchoita 的生物学信息，这是大西洋西南部最丰富的鱼类。此外，最近的研究表明，视网膜和其他组织会对环境酸度的增加做出反应。因此，本研究的结果也讨论了酸化对该物种幼虫的可能影响。EPEA 开发的时间序列的连续性将允许监测长期环境和生物变量对气候变化背景下鳀鱼早期个体发育的影响。E. anchoita 由于其丰度高而具有很高的商业捕捞潜力，以及它在阿根廷其他具有商业价值的渔业资源的营养网中的重要作用，加强了继续加深对该物种知识的需求。