title: Assessment of the freshwater annual fish Cynopoecilus melanotaenia as a toxicity test organism using three reference substances.
abstract: This study presents a preliminary evaluation of the use of the Brazilian fish Cynopoecilus melanotaenia as a test organism in toxicity tests. The cryptobiotic stage presented by the eggs of fish C. melanotaenia can overcome the difficulty of continuously keeping cultures and recruiting healthy animals in sufficient numbers to be used in toxicity tests. In order to determine the applicability of this species as a test organism, three different reference substances were evaluated in 96-h acute toxicity tests: Copper sulfate (CuSO4 x 5H2O), sodium dodecil sulfate (C12H25NaO4S), and sodium chloride (NaCl). Sensitivity ranged as follows: copper sulfate (0.05-0.13 mg/L), sodium dodecil sulfate (10.7-19.0 mg/L), and sodium chloride (1.44-1.96 g/L). We conclude that C. melanotaenia shows potential as a test organism in toxicity tests; however, further research should be conducted with other substances and should be compared with the research on other species before we can reach more conclusive results.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Centro de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, POB: 15007, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, Brazil. alex@ecologia.ufrgs.br
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arenzon
authors.forename: Régis Fontana
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Raya-Rodriguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000931:Antidotes / Q000633:toxicity*; D019327:Copper Sulfate / Q000633:toxicity*; D003532:Cyprinodontiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D010063:Ovum; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000633:toxicity*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014873:Water Pollutants; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D019327:Copper Sulfate