Genetic studies in tench (Tinca tinca L.): high incidence of spontaneous triploidy

A high incidence of spontaneous triploidy was found in tench broodstock hormonally treated to induce spawning but without positive response. Triploidy was also observed in random samples of fingerlings from four tench lines. Triploidy was evaluated by counting Ag-stained NORs in erythrocyte nuclei and was confirmed in 62.5% of the broodstock and in a range from 0.00% to 34.62% in fingerlings. Discrimination of tench diploids and triploids based on differences in shape and length of pelvic fins was tested in the broodstock and also in stocks of earlier artificially induced triploid tench by means of the above-mentioned cytogenetic approach and shown to be a rapid method with a high accuracy (96.43%). Natural disposition for egg overripening is one of the possible causes of highly frequent spontaneous triploidy in the analyzed samples. Genetic predisposition, i.e. occurrence of a recessive allele responsible for the failure of the 2nd polar body extrusion when homozygous, was hypothesized as another possible cause of spontaneous triploidy, based on analysis of the relationships among the tench lines.