Gonadal Sex Differentiation In Cultured Juvenile Flounder, Paralichthys orbignyanus (Valenciennes, 1839)

RADONIC, M; MACCHI, G.J.

Journal of the World Aquaculture Society

Blackwell Publising

Lugar: Baton Rouge (USA); Año: 2009 vol. 40 p. 129 - 133

0893 8849

The flounder is one of the most valuable species of the genus Paralichthys due to its large size, flesh quality and increasing fishery demand. Since nothing is known about the timing of sex differentiation in this species, the present study was conducted to define the schedule of sex determination in lab-reared juvenile based on sex-specific histological criteria. Gonad differentiation occurs between 41 and 75 mm TL, corresponding to 3.5 and 5.6 months of age, respectively.Female sex differentiation was first characterized by the formation of an ovarian cavity, surrounded by germinal cells and a thin albuginea tunica. Males of one year old and minimum size of 134 mm TL were ripe, indicating early maturation under controlled conditions.