ABSTRACT Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) are photopic predators that rely on vision for predator avoidance and foraging behavior. Research conducted on Mahi-mahi vision has been primarily focused on adults, with limited knowledge of the visual function and eye development in early life-stages. In this study, larval Mahi-mahi were obtained from spawning wild-caught broodstock and exposed to an optomotor response assay to assess visual function. Following behavioral assessment, histological examination was conducted on the retinal layers to determine changes in eye morphology and visual acuity early in development. There was an age-dependent increase in the ability of Mahi-mahi to exhibit an optomotor response at increasing speeds. Furthermore, this corresponded to an increase in retinal area and lens thickness between 7 and 10 day post-hatch (dph) larvae, where anatomical visual acuity (measured as the minimum separable angle) also improved. These findings help further the knowledge of visual development in early life-stage pelagic fishes.

中文翻译：

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生命早期阶段 mahi-mahi (coryphaena hippurus) 视觉功能的发展

摘要 Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) 是明视捕食者，依靠视觉来避免捕食者和觅食行为。对 Mahi-mahi 视力的研究主要集中在成年人身上，对生命早期阶段的视觉功能和眼睛发育的了解有限。在这项研究中，幼体 Mahi-mahi 是从野生捕获的亲鱼产卵中获得的，并暴露于光运动反应测定以评估视觉功能。在行为评估之后，对视网膜层进行组织学检查以确定发育早期眼睛形态和视力的变化。Mahi-mahi 在速度增加时表现出视运动反应的能力随年龄而增加。此外，这对应于孵化后 (dph) 幼虫 7 至 10 天视网膜面积和晶状体厚度的增加，其中解剖视力（测量为最小可分离角度）也有所提高。这些发现有助于进一步了解生命早期中上层鱼类的视觉发育。