Biochemical composition of body compartments during the reproductive cycle of the starfish Allostichaster capensis in Patagonia, Argentina

RUBILAR TAMARA; DÍAZ-DE-VIVAR MARÍA E; PASTOR-DE-WARD CATALINA T.

REVISTA DE BIOLOGíA TROPICAL

Universidad de Costa Rica

Lugar: Costa Rica ; Año: 2008 vol. 56 p. 351 - 360

0034-7744

Allostichaster capensis (Perrier, 1875) (= inaequalis) is a fissiparous starfish inhabiting the South Atlantic Ocean coasts. On the Patagonian coast, it displays an annual sexual and asexual reproductive cycle. Fission is most frequent during the austral summer (November-January) and arm regeneration takes place during the rest of the year. In this article, seasonal changes in biochemical composition of body compartments are presented for a population of the fissiparous starfish Allostichaster capensis in Bahia Kaiser, Golfo Nuevo, Chubut, Argentina, from June 2000 to May 2002. In Bahia Kaiser, the population displays annual cycles in both sexual and asexual reproduction. The starfish undergoes fission during the summer, after spawning, and regeneration of arms occurs during the rest of the year. During the annual cycle, an inverse relationship between gonad and pyloric caeca indices suggests nutrient transfer. Biochemical analysis revealed that only lipids are translocated from pyloric caeca to gonads at the beginning of gametogenesis. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (Suppl. 3): 351-360. Epub 2008 November 28.Key words: biochemical composition, reproductive cycle, fissiparous starfish, Allostichaster capensis, Northern Patagonia.