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Vertebral deformities in hatchery-reared and wild-caught juvenile Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

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Abstract

The present study compared vertebral deformities of hatchery-reared and wild-caught juvenile Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. A total of 362 hatchery-reared flounder (total length 122.5–155.8 mm) were collected from three commercial hatcheries located in Yantai, East China, and 89 wild fish (total length 124.7–161.3 mm) were caught off Yangma Island near Yantai City (37°27′N, 121°36′E). All the fish were dissected, photographed, and images of the axial skeleton were examined for vertebral deformities. Compared with wild-caught flounder in which no deformed vertebrae were detected, 48 (13.3%) hatcheryreared fish had deformed vertebrae. The deformities were classified as compression, compression-ankylosis, and dislocation-ankylosis. The vertebral deformities were mainly localized between post-cranial vertebra 1 and 3, with vertebrae number 1 as the most commonly deformed. The causative factors leading to vertebral deformities in reared Japanese flounder may be related to unfavorable temperature conditions, inflammation, damage, or rupture to the intervertebral ligaments under rearing conditions. Furthermore, no significant difference in the total number of vertebral bodies was observed between wild-caught (38.8±0.4) and hatchery-reared flounder (38.1±0.9) (P>0.05). However, the number of vertebral bodies of hatchery-reared and wild-caught flounder ranged from 35 to 39 and from 38 to 39, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Fisheries, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Hongjian Lü  (吕红健), Xiumei Zhang  (张秀梅) & Dan Xi  (席丹)

  2. College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Hongjian Lü  (吕红健), Mei Fu  (付梅), Shengqi Su  (苏胜齐) & Weizhi Yao  (姚维志)

  3. Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Hongjian Lü  (吕红健), Mei Fu  (付梅), Shengqi Su  (苏胜齐) & Weizhi Yao  (姚维志)

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  1. Hongjian Lü  (吕红健)
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  2. Xiumei Zhang  (张秀梅)
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Correspondence to Xiumei Zhang  (张秀梅).

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Supported by the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest (No. 201003068) and the Open Foundation from Ocean Fishery Science and Technology in the Most Important Subjects of Zhejiang, China

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Lü, H., Zhang, X., Fu, M. et al. Vertebral deformities in hatchery-reared and wild-caught juvenile Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus . Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 33, 84–91 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-015-4041-x

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