Assessment of Acute and Short-Term Developmental Toxicity of Mercury Chloride to Rare Minnow (Gobiocypris rarus)

Mercury (Hg), as the most potentially hazardous heavy metal, has accumulated in aquatic environment and caused concern about its safety. To test toxic effects of mercury chloride (Hg2+) on rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus), acute toxicity Hg2+ to embryos, newly hatched larvae, juvenile fish, short-term developmental embryo sac-fry stages, were investigated. The 96-h LC50 values fish 0.56, 0.07, 0.10 mg/L, respectively, suggesting larvae sensitive, followed by while embryos resistant response an challenge. research data revealed that safe level exposure for was 0.7 μg/L. In addition, LOEC (lowest observed effect concentration) NOEC (no heartbeat, mortality, malformation rate, body length survived identically, 0.05 0.01 respectively. These findings indicated had lethal at different life sensitive stage. above have important implications better understanding environmental risk assessment organisms.