The embryonic development of the skunk clownfish,
A. akallopisos was classified in to 26 stages (Table 1)(Fig. 2a–z). During the embryonic development, the organism
is entirely dependent on the nutrition provided by the mother,
mainly by the form of yolk. The period of embryonic development
begins at the time of fertilization and can be divided into
2 phases. The first phase is the egg cleavage phase; the interval
between the first cell division and the appearance of recognizable
precursors of the organ systems, namely, the neural plate.
The second or the embryo phase begins when the embryo
becomes recognizable as a vertebrate. According to Jobling
(2002) and Moyle and Cech (2004), the embryonic period is
the phase between fertilization and commencement of organogenesis.
The contour of eggs in different species of Pomacentrid
fish varies from oval to capsule shape (Moyer and
Nakazono, 1978; Pathiyasevee, 1994). Hoff (1996) reported
that the length of clownfish eggs ranged from 2.0 to 2.4 mm.
The measurements of egg size in some clownfish are given in
Table 2.