Abstract:Anatomic, histological and histochemical methods were used to observe the post-embryonic development of digestive system in Triplophysa bleekeri. The growth of larva T. bleekeri was in a linear trend. Endogenous nutrition phase was within 2 days post hatching (dph), mixotrophic nutrition phase ranged from 3 to 14 dph, and ectogenous phase began since 15 dph. The mouth of newly-hatched larva could be observed and linked to the outside at 3 dph. Oropharyngeal cavity formation was completed at 9 dph and esophagus formation was completed at 8 dph. The digestive tract of newly-hatched larva was a prototype, without obvious gastrointestinal differentiation. The rudiment of gastric glands appearred in gastric pits at 64 dph, showing the initiation of stomach function. The intestine basically completed its development at 27 dph. The liver rudiment appearred in newly-hatched larva and hepatic cells began to differentiate at 2 dph, with central veins and hepatic cords formation at 7 dph. There was no obvious histological difference in liver structure between the larva and the adult. Pancreatic tissue appearred in front of liver at 3 dph and the pancreas rudiment appearred at 4 dph. The pancreas formed at the side of esophagus and stomach at 5 dph and there were a large number of eosinophilic granules in pancreatic cavities. The pancreatic islet appearred at 9 dph, indicating the basic completion of pancreas development. The development of histological structures of digestive system was completed at 64 dph. The period of morphological development was long. There was not any bending but front enlargement appearred in the larval gastrointestinal structure at 64 dph. Stomach and esophagus were at a right angle before bending down, but there was no significant gastrointestinal boundary at 85 dph. The stomach showed "Z" shape before going straight down and no noticeable gastrointestinal boundary formed. As a whole the liver was not divided into leaves at 120 dph. The anatomic structure of digestive system of one-year-old fish was similar to that of the adult, except for the lack of right liver leaf and round intestine ring bending on the dorsal side of the stomach. The characteristics of post-embryonic development of digestive system and the nutrition way of larva in T. bleekeri probably reflect the general pattern and nutrition trend of larva in fishes which breed in winter in the southern zone of the Changjiang River.