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Testis Development and Ultrastructural Features During Spermatogenesis in Cultured Small Yellow Croaker, Larimichthys polyactis

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Abstract

The small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis is an economically important marine fish in Northeast Asia. Currently, its natural resources are threatened by overfishing and environmental pollution. Therefore, research on the reproductive system of the fish is crucial. Here, we studied the testis development and ultrastructural features of spermatogenesis in cultured L. polyactis using anatomical, histological, and ultrastructural techniques. A pair of testes, consisting of a central sperm duct and radial seminiferous lobules, were observed. The reproduction cycle of testes can be divided into stages I–VI. March to May was confirmed as the breeding season for male L. polyactis, while April is the ideal period for artificial breeding. The male L. polyactis can attain sexual maturity within 1 year. The spermatogenesis of L. polyactis comprised spermatogonium, spermatocyte, spermatid, and mature spermatozoon. The morphology of spermatogenic cells changed obviously during spermiogenesis, including nuclear shaping, midpiece and flagellum formation. The mature sperms consist of an ellipsoidal head, a short midpiece, and a long flagellum. The anterior of the head with a kidney-shaped nucleus can be distinguished. The midpiece is located posterior to the head and includes four to six spherical mitochondria. The flagellum has irregular lateral fins. The testis of L. polyactis is an unrestricted lobular type, with cystic spermatogenesis, type II spermiogenesis, and type II spermatozoa. These features are highly similar to those of other Sciaenid species. Our findings provide useful insights into the mechanism underlying testis development and spermatogenesis of L. polyactis, which can facilitate the artificial breeding of this species.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to all the members of the Fish Histology Laboratory at Ningbo University for valuable discussions. This study was supported by the NSFC-Zhejiang Joint Fund for the Integration of Industrialization and Informatization (No. U1809212), the Scientific and Technical Project of Zhejiang Province (Nos. 2021C02055, 2017C02013), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31272642), and Healthy Aquaculture, the K. C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Zhejiang Marine High-Efficiency.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biotechnology by the Ministry of Education, School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China

    Xuebin Zheng, Jingqian Wang, Xinming Gao, Chen Du, Congcong Hou & Junquan Zhu

  2. Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, China

    Qingping Xie, Feng Liu & Bao Lou

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  1. Xuebin Zheng
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  2. Jingqian Wang
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  9. Bao Lou
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Correspondence to Junquan Zhu or Bao Lou.

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Zheng, X., Wang, J., Gao, X. et al. Testis Development and Ultrastructural Features During Spermatogenesis in Cultured Small Yellow Croaker, Larimichthys polyactis. J. Ocean Univ. China 22, 1412–1426 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-023-5529-1

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