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An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to characterize the pantothenic acid deficiency signs and quantify the dietary requirement of juvenile hybrid striped bass, Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis . A basal diet composed of fish muscle and crystalline amino acids was analyzed to contain 5 mg of pantothenate/kg and supplemented with calcium d -pantothenate resulting in five diets with graded pantothenate levels of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg diet. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of hybrid striped bass juveniles (initial average weight 1.6 g) in a recirculating system at 26.0 ± 1 °C. Fish fed the unsupplemented basal diet performed poorly in terms of growth parameters and exhibited typical signs of pantothenic acid deficiency such as hemorrhages, sluggishness, high mortality, anemia and severe hyperplasia of the epithelial cells of gill lamellae. Fish fed the diet containing 10 mg of pantothenate/kg diet performed significantly better than fish fed the basal diet but poorly when compared with the responses of fish fed diets containing 20, 30 and 40 mg of calcium d -pantothenate/kg diet. Also, pantothenic acid-deficiency signs were apparent in fish fed the diet containing 10 mg/kg diet; whereas, no deficiency signs were observed in fish fed diets supplemented with the higher levels. Based on these data, the dietary pantothenic acid requirement of hybrid striped bass was quantified at 18.8 mg/kg diet based on broken-line regression analysis of weight gain data. Statement of relevance Pantothenic acid deficiency in hybrid striped bass was characterized and the minimum dietary pantothenic acid requirement was determined to be 18.8 mg/kg based on weight gain. This information will assist in refining diet formulations for hybrid striped bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]