Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Seasonal changes in oocyte size and maturity of the giant jellyfish, Nemopilema nomurai

  • Original Article
  • Biology
  • Published:
Fisheries Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To determine the reproductive season of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai, we investigated gonadal maturity in specimens collected from the East China Sea, Korea Strait, Wakasa Bay, and the Shonai Coast of Yamagata Prefecture. After the sex of the samples was determined, the long axis of at least 256 oocytes from each female was measured. In specimens collected from the coast of Japan in 2005 and in 2006, all gonads were sufficiently developed to determine sex. However, 18 of the 20 specimens from the East China Sea collected in July 2005 were immature, and sex could not be determined. The maximum and third quartile of oocyte length had a significant correlation with days elapsed from 30 June, but they were not related to bell diameter. Observations of gonad tissue sections of specimens collected in Wakasa Bay in 2006 confirmed that oocyte length was a good proxy for female maturity. Male maturity could also be determined. In conclusion, the sex of all of the small-sized medusae collected along the coast of Japan was determinable, and their gonads were at various stages of development up to fully mature. Therefore, the occurrence of small-sized jellyfish during the autumn in Wakasa Bay is not caused by recruitment of young population from the nearby coast.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Yan LP, Li SF, Ding FY (2004) The preliminary studies on the dynamics of macro-jellyfish resources and their relationship with fisheries in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea (in Chinese with English abstract). Mar Fish 26:9–12

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kawahara M, Uye S, Ohtsu K, Iizumi H (2006) Unusual population explosion of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) in East Asian waters. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 307:161–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Yoon WD, Yang JY, Shim MB, Kang HK (2008) Physical processes influencing the occurrence of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) around Jeju Island, Korea. J Plankton Res 30:251–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Uye S (2008) Blooms of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai: a threat to the fisheries sustainability of the East Asian Marginal Seas. Plankton Benthos Res 3(Suppl):125–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Yasuda T, Toyokawa M (2008) In situ diameter measurement of Nomura’s jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai by using a newly developed tool (in Japanese with English abstract). Suisangakkaishi 74:161–165

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ohtsu M, Kawahara M, Ikeda H, Uye S (2007) Experimental induction of gonadal maturation and spawning in the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae). Mar Biol 152:667–676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Arai MN (1997) A functional biology of Scyphozoa. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rottini Sandrini L, Avian M (1991) Reproduction of Pelagia noctiluca in the central and northern Adriatic Sea. Hydrobiologia 216/217:197–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Pitt KA, Kingsford MJ (2000) Reproductive biology of the edible jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus (Rhizostomeae). Mar Biol 137:791–799

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Crawley MJ (2005) Statistics: an introduction using R. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  11. Ihaka R, Gentleman RR (1996) A language for data analysis and graphics. J Comput Graph Stat 5:299–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hamner WM, Jenssen RM (1974) Growth, degrowth, and irreversible cell differentiation in Aurelia aurita. Am Zool 14:833–849

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank all of the fishermen of the Echizen-cho Fisheries Cooperative Association, the Wakasa-Mikata Fisheries Cooperative Association, the Hiruga Fisheries Cooperative Association, the Niu Fisheries Cooperative Association, the Nohara Large Set-net Association, and the Nisaburo Co. Ltd. who kindly accepted our research and provided a lot of support. We also thank Mr. K. Okuizumi of Kamo Aquarium, Messrs. N. Sobajima and Y. Ueno of the Kyoto Institute of Oceanic and Fishery Science, Mr. H. Morita of the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, and the captain and crews of the R/V “Yoko-Maru” of the Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency for help with sampling. Thanks are extended to Dr. C. Norman of Japan Scientific Texts for rewriting the English and providing useful advice. This research was funded by a research project for utilizing advanced technologies in agriculture, forestry and fisheries from the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council and by a research project for the international cooperative survey at the origin of giant jellyfish from the Fisheries Agency from 2006 through 2008 and from 2009 through 2011.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research Agency, 2-12-4 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan

    Masaya Toyokawa & Akio Shimizu

  2. Fisheries Division, Fukui Prefectural Government, Fukui, Fukui, 910-8580, Japan

    Katashi Sugimoto

  3. Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 851-2213, Japan

    Kou Nishiuchi

  4. Yasuda Fisheries Office, Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan

    Toru Yasuda

Authors
  1. Masaya Toyokawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Akio Shimizu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Katashi Sugimoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kou Nishiuchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Toru Yasuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masaya Toyokawa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Toyokawa, M., Shimizu, A., Sugimoto, K. et al. Seasonal changes in oocyte size and maturity of the giant jellyfish, Nemopilema nomurai . Fish Sci 76, 55–62 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-009-0187-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-009-0187-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation