Annual sex steroid levels in cultured dusky grouper females

Description

The dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus is a proteroginic hermaphrodite that exhibits a complex reproductive biology. Under captive condition most females do not proceed into vitellogenesis and do not spawn spontaneously. Sex-steroids profiles during the reproductive cycle have been recently studied in the wild (Marino et a. 1997), but no data are available on sex steroids levels in cultured fish. This study describes the seasonal variation of 17ß-estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and 11ß hydroxyandrostenedione (OHA) plasma levels in dusky grouper females.

Additional details