The freshwater catfishMystus punctatus was successfully bred in the laboratory by injecting the pituitary extract of the marine catfishTachysurus macuiatus. The number of eggs released by a single female fish was 9050 ± 700, the relative fecundity was 43·1 and the fertilization success was 85 ± 2·8 per cent. The average diameter of the unfertilized eggs ranged from 1·27 to 1·35 mm and the fertilized eggs ranged from 1·45 to 1·50 mm. The eggs hatched within 18 to 24 hr at a water temperature of 28·5 ± 1·8°C, and the percentage of hatching was 78%. The larvae metamorphosed into juveniles within fifteen days of their hatching. A description of the egg and larval development to metamorphosis is given.