|
Vol. 48 No. 4, 2009
Reproductive Mode of the Blue-striped Angelfish Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis in Northeastern Taiwan
Kuan-Yu Chen1 and Wann-Nian Tzeng1,2,*
1Institute of Fisheries Science, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
2Department of Life Science, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Kuan-Yu Chen and Wann-Nian Tzeng (2009)
The blue-striped angelfish Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis Temminck and
Schlegel 1844 is a coral reef fish distributed from Hong Kong through
Taiwan to southern Japan. This species has potential in the
future aquaculture industry of marine ornamental fishes. However,
fundamental knowledge of the reproductive biology of this species is
scant. To understand its reproductive mode, the gonadosomatic
index (GSI) and gonadal histology of the fish were examined based on
155 individuals collected monthly from the reef zone of Ilan County,
northeastern Taiwan between Jan. 2003 and Jan. 2004. The GSI of
females significantly increased from late spring to mid summer
(May-July), and that of males increased earlier and declined later
(Mar.-Aug.) than females. Seasonal changes in the ovarian
maturity stage composition indicated that the peak spawning season of C. septentrionalis occurs in summer. The reproductive activity of C. septentrionalis
drastically decreased when water temperatures exceeded 28°C. The
histological analysis of the ovaries indicated that this fish is a
partial spawner with synchronous occurrence of previtellogenic and
vitellogenic oocytes and secondary oocytes during the spawning
season. The total length of the fish ranges 143.1-215.4 mm.
The mean length of males (180.7 ± 13.9 mm) is larger than that of
females (172.8 ± 12.0 mm), and the proportion of males increased in
large size classes indicating sexual size dimorphism in C. septentrionalis. The presence of a male with a few oogonia in its testes suggests that C. septentrionalis exhibits hermaphroditism.
Key words: Reproductive cycle, Gonadosomatic index, Gonadal histology, Hermaphroditism, Blue-striped angelfish.
*Correspondence: Tel: 886-2-33662887. Fax: 886-2-23639570. E-mail:wnt@ntu.edu.tw
|
