6533b825fe1ef96bd1281daa
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Gonadal sexual differentiation of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L. 1758) of fingerlings in different size classes
Gianluca FortinoMaria RizzoMaria Cristina GuerreraFrancesco FazioFrancesca ArfusoConcetta SaocaGiuseppe PiccioneAndrea Santullisubject
0301 basic medicineGonadPhysiologysexual differentiationZoologyAquatic ScienceOceanographygonadEuropean sea bafish size03 medical and health sciencesmedicineDicentrarchus labraxSettore BIO/06 - Anatomia Comparata E CitologiaSea bassPhenotypic plasticitySexual differentiationbiology04 agricultural and veterinary sciencesbiology.organism_classificationFishery030104 developmental biologymedicine.anatomical_structureEuropean sea bass dicentrarchus labrax fish size gonad sexual differentiation040102 fisheries0401 agriculture forestry and fisheriesFish <Actinopterygii>Dicentrarchusdescription
This report describes a study of the gonad differentiation in fingerlings of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) belonging to different size groups. Fishes were divided into four groups according to their weight: Group 1 (4.5 ± 0.7 g), Group 2 (9.2 ± 0.8 g), Group 3 (14.8 ± 1.8 g), and Group 4 (21.8 ± 2.3 g). In all groups, low percentages of undifferentiated or early sexually differentiated fish were found. Higher percentages of fully differentiated ovaries were found in Groups 1 and 3. Fully differentiated testes occurred in 90% of Group 4. Ninety percent of fish in Group 2 had gonads with intratesticular oocytes. This highlights the occurrence of intersexual cases and suggests that at this size, the fish is susceptible to phenotypic plasticity. The results of the present study show that sexual differentiation of the gonads is found in fish at 4.5 g weight. The ambiguous relationship between the observed gonad morpho-functional characteristics and fish size suggests a subject-dependent sexual differentiation.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-09-02 |