Cumulative thermal units and developmental stage of Pallid Sturgeon free embryos reared at multiple temperatures

This dataset documents the onset of developmental stages of pallid sturgeon free embryos from hatch through melanin plug expulsion, when reared in the laboratory at five nominal temperatures (14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 degrees Celsius, degrees C). Onset of developmental stages were recorded in days post-hatch (DPH) and cumulative thermal units (CTU). CTU are calculated as the sum of water temperature, in degrees C, during the time of exposure, in our case, from the time of hatch to the time of sample preservation. Pallid sturgeon transition through a series of brief developmental stages during a free-embryo period from hatch to melanin plug expulsion, which is regarded as the approximate onset of exogenous feeding. Detailed characteristics of 45 developmental stages were described by Dettlaff and others (1993) for Acipenser sturgeon from the time of egg deposition to melanin plug expulsion and the initiation of exogenous feeding. Stages 1-35 describe egg and embryo development within the protective chorion, and stages 36-45 describe free embryos from hatch to the initiation of exogenous feeding.