LarvalBase
Encyclopedia
LarvalBase is a global online database
of information about fish eggs, larvae and fry. It includes detailed data on the identification of very young fish and the rearing of fish species important for fisheries and aquaculture. , it included descriptions of 2,228 species
, 4,229 pictures, and references to 4,513 works in the scientific literature
. The database is under the supervision of Bernd Ueberschaer at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences
in Kiel
, Germany.
LarvalBase is an offshoot of, and follows the same format as FishBase
, a comprehensive online database about finfish. Whereas FishBase is a database about adult finfish, LarvalBase is a database about the juvenile stages of fish. Juvenile fish often feed differently and occupy different habitats than the adults do. LarvalBase complements FishBase by providing information about these early stages of life.
LarvalBase aims to include all the key data on finfish larvae, with an emphasis on standardising the data, making it easy to extract and combine data with other data, and offering powerful presentation tools. It draws on the traditional primary source
s found in papers, books and reports, gray literature
and unpublished but reliable data from sources such as practicing aquaculturists. The data includes information such as identification key
s, morphometrics, broodstock
, spawning and nursery behaviour, prey and predators, and growth stages and rates. It also includes information of specific interest to aquaculturists, such as how long it takes egg to hatch, diagrams charting changes in anatomy at different larval stages, analysis of larval diets, and techniques for rearing fish fry.
and hatchery
scientists and managers to get the information they need on the species that concern them, because the relevant facts can be scattered and buried across numerous journal articles, reports, newsletters and other sources. It can be particularly difficult for people in developing countries who need such information. An answer to this situation is to consolidate all the available information, drawn from the global sources, into an easily accessed database. The database will be particularly useful if the data has also been standardised and validated. It was with such considerations that the FishBase
project was born in 1988. FishBase is now the world's main
database on finfish with over 30 million hits a month. However, FishBase does not include detailed information on fish eggs and juvenile fish. In 1998 the LarvalBase project was launched to remedy this.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
of information about fish eggs, larvae and fry. It includes detailed data on the identification of very young fish and the rearing of fish species important for fisheries and aquaculture. , it included descriptions of 2,228 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, 4,229 pictures, and references to 4,513 works in the scientific literature
Scientific literature
Scientific literature comprises scientific publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences, and within a scientific field is often abbreviated as the literature. Academic publishing is the process of placing the results of one's research into the...
. The database is under the supervision of Bernd Ueberschaer at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences
Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences
The Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences is a research institute in Kiel, Germany. It was formed in 2004 by merging the Institute for Marine Science with the Research Center for Marine Geosciences and is co-funded by both federal and provincial governments...
in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany.
LarvalBase is an offshoot of, and follows the same format as FishBase
FishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
, a comprehensive online database about finfish. Whereas FishBase is a database about adult finfish, LarvalBase is a database about the juvenile stages of fish. Juvenile fish often feed differently and occupy different habitats than the adults do. LarvalBase complements FishBase by providing information about these early stages of life.
LarvalBase aims to include all the key data on finfish larvae, with an emphasis on standardising the data, making it easy to extract and combine data with other data, and offering powerful presentation tools. It draws on the traditional primary source
Primary source
Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
s found in papers, books and reports, gray literature
Gray literature
Gray literature is a field in library and information science. The term is used variably by the intellectual community, librarians, and medical and research professionals to refer to a body of materials that cannot be found easily through conventional channels such as publishers, "but which is...
and unpublished but reliable data from sources such as practicing aquaculturists. The data includes information such as identification key
Identification key
In biology, an identification key is a printed or computer-aided device that aids the identification of biological entities, such as plants, animals, fossils, microorganisms, and pollen grains...
s, morphometrics, broodstock
Broodstock
Broodstock, or broodfish, are a group of mature individuals used in aquaculture for breeding purposes. Broodstock can be a population of animals maintained in captivity as a source of replacement for, or enhancement of, seed and fry numbers. These are generally kept in ponds or tanks in which...
, spawning and nursery behaviour, prey and predators, and growth stages and rates. It also includes information of specific interest to aquaculturists, such as how long it takes egg to hatch, diagrams charting changes in anatomy at different larval stages, analysis of larval diets, and techniques for rearing fish fry.
Background
It can be difficult for fisheries, aquacultureAquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
and hatchery
Fish hatchery
A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...
scientists and managers to get the information they need on the species that concern them, because the relevant facts can be scattered and buried across numerous journal articles, reports, newsletters and other sources. It can be particularly difficult for people in developing countries who need such information. An answer to this situation is to consolidate all the available information, drawn from the global sources, into an easily accessed database. The database will be particularly useful if the data has also been standardised and validated. It was with such considerations that the FishBase
FishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
project was born in 1988. FishBase is now the world's main
database on finfish with over 30 million hits a month. However, FishBase does not include detailed information on fish eggs and juvenile fish. In 1998 the LarvalBase project was launched to remedy this.
External links
- LarvalBase online
- Photo archieve LarvalBase.
- Critical times for fish larvae Bernd Ueberschär, IFM-GEOMAR. Presentation to Summer school, Qingdao, 2008. Introductory lecture on larval ecology.