Oocyte development and serum profiles of vitellogenin and steroid hormone levels in captive female Pacific herring Clupea pallasii during their first maturational cycle

ABSTRACT:   The present study investigates the relationship between oocyte development and serum steroid hormone levels in captive Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii , during the first reproductive cycle. The process of oocyte development in Pacific herring belongs to the group-synchronous type. Maturity of the ovary was divided into six periods based on histological observation (i.e. immature (April to September), onset of vitellogenesis (August to October), progress of vitellogenesis (October to December), completion of vitellogenesis (December to March), maturation and spawning (March to April) and spent (late April)). The pattern of seasonal change in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) well reflected the ovarian maturity. Serum vitellogenin levels showed good correlation with change in GSI, which increased from September to a peak (4.2 ± 0.3 mg/mL) in March. Serum estradiol-17β (E2) levels elevated from September and reached a peak (15.8 ± 4.2 ng/mL) in December, and remained comparatively high until March, suggesting that the active vitellogenin synthesis during vitellogenesis is controlled by the high E2 level. 17,20β-Dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one showed a single sharp peak (2.4 ± 0.28 ng/mL) in early April of the second year, suggesting it was a maturation-inducing steroid in this species.     

Insights into the divergent evolution of the oceanic squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) from the Indian Ocean

Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis is known for its complex population structure with three major transoceanic forms (viz. middle-sized, dwarf, and giant forms) whose taxonomic status has been disputed for decades. This integrated taxonomic study examines these prevenient morphotypes gathered on cruises in the Indian Ocean to ascertain their status in the evolutionary history of the species. Molecular analyses employing mitochondrial (COI, ND2) and nuclear (H3) markers revealed four genetically distinct and novel lineages of the species in the Indian Ocean, representing three morphotypes from the Arabian Sea and one from the Southern Indian Ocean. The mitochondrial-based phylograms revealed two distinct clades in the species: “dwarf forms + giant form” and “middle-sized forms,” which further branch into geographically structured evolutionary units. Species delimitation analyses recovered five distinct clades, namely, the Arabian Sea giant and dwarf forms, Equatorial, Eastern Typical, and Other Middle-sized forms, representing the consensus molecular operational taxonomic units. H3 being heterozygous could not resolve the phylogeny. Haplotype network and AMOVA analysis of mtDNA genes indicated explicit phylogeographic structuring of haplotypes, whereas these outputs and PCA results were incongruent with the morphological grouping. Phenetic features distinguishing the morphotypes were sometimes plastic and mismatched with the genotypes. The giant form was genetically close to the dwarf forms, contradicting the earlier notion that it descended from the middle-sized form. It may be assumed that the dwarf form evolved following sympatric speciation and adaptation to warm equatorial waters, while the focal features of the Western Arabian Sea guide toward allopatric speciation of the giant form.     

Testicular development and serum profiles of steroid hormone levels in captive male Pacific herring Clupea pallasii during their first maturational cycle

The present study investigates the relationship between testicular development and serum steroid hormone levels in captive Pacific herring Clupea pallasii during the first reproductive cycle. The maturity of the testis was divided into five periods based on histological observation. These are early spermatogenic stage (April to July), mid-spermatogenic stage (August to November), late spermatogenic stage (December to March), functional maturation stage (early April) and spent stage (late April). The pattern of seasonal change in gonadosomatic index (GSI) clearly reflected testicular maturity. 11-Ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels increased from October to a peak level (6.58 ± 1.87 ng/mL) in January, and were maintained at this level until March. In contrast, testosterone levels were consistently low, less than 1 ng/mL, at all times. These results suggest that 11-KT is the predominant androgen that controls spermatogenesis in this species. 17,20β-Dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) showed a single sharp peak (3.38 ± 0.35 ng/mL) in early April of the second year, suggesting that milt production is induced by DHP as in some other teleost species.