Background. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent and bioacumulative chemical pollutants which exert negative physiological effects on the reproductive system of mature male and female fish. PCBs present in the aquatic environment may also have an influence on developing embryos. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Aroclor 1254, a polychlorinated biphenyls mixture, on the embryonic development of Prussian carp, Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782), and common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. Materials and methods. The samples of eggs obtained from 4 females of each species were divided into two dishes and incubated separately after fertilization (common carp) or activation (Prussian carp) with common carp sperm. The incubation, with Aroclor 1254 (1 or 10 ng · mL–1) or in water with no PCB added, lasted for 4 days. The mortality, hatching rate, number of hatched larvae, and number of deformed larvae were observed. Results. After 24 h of incubation of Prussian carp and common carp eggs there were no significant differences in the percentage of living eggs between the Aroclor 1254 treated groups and the control one. The lowest tested concentration of PCB (1 ng · mL–1) accelerated the hatching of Prussian carp larvae at 75 h of incubation. The significant increase in the percentage of deformed larvae was observed only in the experiment with common carp eggs incubated with Aroclor 1254 at the concentration of 10 ng · mL–1. Conclusion. Results of the presented data showed that Aroclor 1254 (at tested concentrations) is not harmful for the development of activated Prussian carp eggs but teratogenic effect was observed in the case of common carp embryos.

PCBs mixture, common carp, Prussian carp, embryonic development, reproduction