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Populations of the alligator gar Lepisosteus spatula (also known as Atractosteus spatula) and the tropical gar L. tropicus are declining as a result of commercial and sport fisheries and habitat alteration. Aquaculture represents a short-term approach to population restoration but requires an understanding of the nutritional requirements of early life stages. This paper describes the larval development and growth rates of the alligator gar and tropical gar and identifies morphological indicators of growth and nutritional condition during early life stages. A light-colored dorsal stripe distinguished alligator gar larvae (23-130 mm total length (TL)), whereas tropical gar larvae (22-60 mm TL) could be identified by a pair of brown and yellow lines on the flanks. Larvae of both species adhered to vegetation through the fourth day after hatching (DAH) and began to swim and feed on the fifth DAH. The growth rate of alligator gar …