Environmental temperature can act as a positive or negative modulator of the physiology and metabolism of poikilothermic organisms. As a general rule, larvae and juveniles are more sensitive to temperature stress than adults, which represents a key factor that partly determines their development and growth in aquaculture. Therefore, this study analyzed the effect of exposure to temperatures of 21, 24, and 27°C on the respiratory metabolism (RM) of Totoaba macdonaldi in different developmental stages. For this purpose, eggs, larvae with 4, 6, 8, 14, and 22 days post-hatch (dph), and juveniles of 25 dph were exposed to the experimental temperatures for 5 h. After the exposure time, oxygen consumption measurements were performed. The results clearly show that temperature (21 to 27°C) has the greatest effect on RM in eggs and larvae at 4 and 22 dph (3.1 ± 0.3 to 4.3 ± 0.3 μmol O2 h-1 egg-1, 2.9 ± 0.3 to 10.5 ± 1.2 μmol O2 h-1 larvae-1 and 102.0 ± 6.4 to 189.8 ± 15.3 μmol O2 h-1 larvae-1, respectively). This thermal sensitivity was not observed from 6, 8, and 14 dph larvae and juveniles at 25 dph, where morphological development was the main factor that influencing the RM. Therefore, this study shows that temperature affects RM in different development stages of totoaba, beginning in the egg stage and intensifying once the larvae hatch until 22 dph. Understanding how temperature affects energy expenditure by measuring RM is essential to establish culture conditions that allow better physiological performance and growth in the early life stages of T. macdonaldi.