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Plasma sex steroid hormonal profile and gonad histology during the annual reproductive cycle of river catfish Hemibagrus nemurus (Valenciennes, 1840) in captivity

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Abstract

Plasma sex steroid hormonal profile and gonad histology were correlated to study the annual reproductive cycle of Hemibagrus nemurus. Hormones were measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Gonad tissues were observed by using light microscopy. The highest testosterone (T) value for male was observed in November and that of female was in October. 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and 17β-estradiol (E2) levels were highest in June and November, respectively. Hormonal profiles of T, 11-KT and E2 showed several peaks which indicated a non-seasonal pattern. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the monthly levels of T, 11-KT and E2. Gonadosomatic index of H. nemurus ranged from 1.14 ± 0.02 % to 7.06 ± 1.40 %, and high gonadosomatic indices were recorded in May, August and November. Gonad histology revealed that spermatozoa were always present in the testes which implied continuous spermatogenesis and asynchronous ovarian development pattern was observed in the ovaries. The annual reproductive cycle of H. nemurus did not show a seasonal pattern and this indicate that H. nemurus is a non-seasonal breeder with several spawning cycles and can be referred to as indeterminate batch spawner. The major significances of this study are annual sex steroid hormonal profile and asynchronous ovarian development of H. nemurus. This information will contribute to our knowledge of reproductive biology of H. nemurus.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Universiti Putra Malaysia for the provision of internal research grant (Vote number 5487718) used in this study. Also, the assistance of Mr Saipuzaman Ali of the Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, in the light microscopy work; Mr. Mohammad Fadhil Syukri Ismail with the work on hormone assay; Mrs. Asiah Othman and Mr. Jelili Adegboyega Adebiyi in the field and laboratory work are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Sharr Azni Harmin

    Present address: Faculty of Science and Biotechnology, Center for Land and Aquatic Technology, Universiti Industri Selangor, 45600, Bestari Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Fatimat Adenike Adebiyi, Siti Shapor Siraj & Annie Christianus

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  1. Fatimat Adenike Adebiyi
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Correspondence to Fatimat Adenike Adebiyi.

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Adebiyi, F.A., Siraj, S.S., Harmin, S.A. et al. Plasma sex steroid hormonal profile and gonad histology during the annual reproductive cycle of river catfish Hemibagrus nemurus (Valenciennes, 1840) in captivity. Fish Physiol Biochem 39, 547–557 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-012-9718-x

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