Morphological Differences in Male Gonads Among Nine Genera of Gadidae (Pisces)
Among 12 species of Gadidae, which belong to nine genera and three subfamilies six basic types of male gonads are observed. In the freshwater genus, Lota, gonads are simple nearly cylindrical m shape, and not subdivided into lobes. In the marine genera of cold waters, such as Melanogrammus and Gadus...
| Published in: | Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
1972
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f72-271 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f72-271 |
| Summary: | Among 12 species of Gadidae, which belong to nine genera and three subfamilies six basic types of male gonads are observed. In the freshwater genus, Lota, gonads are simple nearly cylindrical m shape, and not subdivided into lobes. In the marine genera of cold waters, such as Melanogrammus and Gadus, the other extreme in gonad structure, consisting of numerous, rather uniform convolutions, is found. In the marine genera Urophycis and Merluccius of more temperate waters, the male gonads consist of several lobes, rather irregular in shape and size. Among genera inhabiting brackish and sometimes fresh water, such as Microgadus, Boreogadus, and Eleginus, the gonads are subdivided into lobes which are not very numerous. In the genus Arctogadus, distributed in salt and brackish Arctic waters, the gonads are intermediate m their complexity between the typical marine genera of cold water, Melanogrammus and Gadus, and those three genera inhabiting brackish waters. The explanation for the morphological differences in male gonads of Gadidae appears to be associated principally with the respective type of waters (salt or fresh) which they inhabit and their spawning requirements and to a much lesser degree with their systematic relationships. |
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