Reproductive strategies and breeding behaviour of pufferfishes all around

1. REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
AND
BREEDING OF PUFFERFISHES

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Hello!
I am CHANDANA B L
AQC-2018-20-05
MFSc AQUACULTURE

3. GENERAL
ASPECTS
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4.  Tetraodontidae family comprising of 29 genera and 200 species
 Wide range of size, habitat and diversely distributed among tropics while
they are not common in temperate waters and not at all found in cold waters
(Lakra et al., 2013)
 Produces the deadly tetrodotoxin
 Mostly marine, several enter estuaries and around 40 species are reported to
be freshwater from different parts of the world
 6 Tetraodon species from Africa, Colomesus asellus from tropical regions of
South America and from Asia- Auriglobus, Carinotetraodon, Chonerhinos,
Dichotomyctere, Leiodon, Pao and Tetraodon
 Puffer fishes are carnivorous in nature (Dasgupta 2004).
 Exhibits unique dental morphology
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5.  The distinct beak formed through progressive accumulation- multiple
generations of teeth stacked together and embedded within a rigid
osteodentine mass (Thiery et al., 2017)
 The gut content for freshwater puffer includes cladocerans, rotifers,
copepods, insects and partially digested animal content and plant matter
(Prasad et al., 2012) while marine and brackish water species had cirripedia
and brachyurans as prime materials in food composition (Krumme et al.,
2007)
 Considered a delicacy in some countries
 Used in karyotyping, genome studies, cytological and immunological
experiments, and for characterization of tetrodotoxin and its effects on
mammals
 Potential to be used as biomonitors of estuarine conditions (Mat Piah, R.
and Bucher, D.J. (2014) 5

6. DWARF
PUFFER FISH
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7.  Carinotetraodon travancoricus, the species endemic to western ghats of
India (Dahanukar et al., 2004)
 Considered vulnerable as per IUCN conservation status due to extensive
habitat loss resulting from deforestation and associated activities
 Reported as very rare (Easa & Shaji, 1997), vulnerable (Shaji & Easa,
1998), rare (Ajithkumar et al., 1999) and common but rare (Raju Thomas
et al., 2002)
 Over 30-40% population decline due to overexploitation for ornamental
trade (Dahanukar, 2013)
 Good biocontrol agent for Culex quiquefaciatus (Inasu, 1996) and also for
immature stages of malarial vector (Sheeba, 1998) and will be promising in
controlling animal schistosomiasis (Dalie et al., 2002)
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8.  C.imitator, described based on aquarium trade from India (Britz & Kottelat,
1999)
 In captivity actively responds to feeds such as live and frozen blood worms,
grindal worms, mosquito larvae and also accepts moina daphnia and copepods
 Reluctant to artificial feeds
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9. REPRODUCTIVE
BIOLOGY
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10.  Considered essential for stock management, managing exploitation and
planning of successful hatchery and nursery operations
 Various maturity stages will be studied
 Information on spawning season and minimum length at maturity is essential
to ensure sustainable yield
 Gonado- somatic index to explain state of maturity and intensity of spawning
 Spawning location studied for indications of migration
 Hepato-somatic index and condition factor will be studied
 Different aspects of reproductive biology of various pufferfish species were
extensively investigated (Habib, 1979; Gladstone and Westoby, 1988;
Rocha et al., 2000; Schultz et al., 2002; Sabrah et al., 2006; Sanchez-
Cardenas et al., 2008; Fávaro et al., 2009; Lucana-Ramirez et al., 2011;
Mat Piah, 2011; Aydin, 2011) 10

11.  MATURITY STAGES
 Usually classified into 5 – 7 stages
- Immature, Maturing, Developing, Mature/ Ripe, Spent
 Occurrence of the stages during various months noted
 Dependency to age or length strongly linked to growth and regulated by water
temperature and feeding success
 Male gonads at high levels of maturity than that of females during post –
spawning period was observed in Uranostoma richei and Sphoeroides
maculatus
 In females of Takifugu poecilonotus, ovary toxicity was high during the
maturation period and in males, little maturation-associated change in the toxin
distribution was observed 11

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MATURITY STAGES TESTIS OVARY
Stage I
(Immature)
Testes very thin, thread or ribbon like,
translucent, no sperm
Ovaries are very thin, transparent, eggs very
small,
Stage II
(Maturing)
Slight increase in volume and weight,
opaque to transparent in colour, testes
small, whitish, trace of sperm.
Ovaries become thicker & small, slight pinkish
or yellowish in colour, weight increases, eggs
visible under microscope. Right ovary is larger
than the left ovary.
Stage III
(Developing)
Testes enlarged & rounded, marked
increase in volume weight, opaque to
transparent, whitish in colour.
Ovaries occupies about one-third of the body
cavity, pinkish to yellowish in colour, diameter
of the ova increases, ovaries are rounded.
Stage IV
(Mature/ripe)
Testes whitish, creamy, soft flabby,
full of sperm, testes are very large,
some extruded with pressure.
Eggs enlarged and can be seen with naked eye,
blood vessels distinct, deep yellowish or
orange eggs are found, extruded with slight
pressure, ovaries having loose walls, ripe and
translucent
eggs
Stage V (Spent) Testes shrinking, flaccid, whitish to
translucent and very thin.
Ovaries flaccid, shrinking, shows reduction in
weight and volume, yellowish, wrinkled,
large eggs having disappeared.

13.  LENGTH AT FIRST MATURITY
 Found out by considering distribution of cumulative percentages from
maturing stage onwards in different length groups
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SPECIES L50 (cm)
MALE FEMALE
Uranostoma richei 14 12
Sphoeroides nephelus 14.93
Sphoeroides annulatus 27.41 26.52
Marylina pleurosticta 9 9
Tetractenos hamiltoni 8 11
Torquigener flavimaculosus 8.2 9.5

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Tetraodon cutcutia 4.4 5.2
Lagocephalus lunaris 14.1
Lagocephalus spadiceus (West Coast) 9.5 9.5
Lagocephalus spadiceus (Visakhapatnam) 17 17
Lagocephalus inermis 15.2
Carinotetraodon travancoricus (Kechery) 2.4
Carinotetraodon travancoricus (Pampa) 1.8 1.8
Canthigaster valentini 5 4.1
Lagocephalus sceleratus 41.9 (SWA) 48.8 (SEA)

15.  SPAWNING SEASON
 Varies with species and location
 In summer - Uranostoma richei, Marylina pleurosticta, Torquigener
flavimaculosus, Torquigener pleurogramma , Lagocephalus sceleratus etc
 In winter – Tetractenos hamiltoni, Tetractenos glaber
 Many exhibits extensive spawning periods as in Lagocephalus sceleratus, L.
lunaris, L. spadiceus, Sphoeroides nephelus, Uranostoma richei, Canthigaster
valentini, Carinotetraodon travancoricus etc.
 A dominance of males was observed during the spawning season in
Sphoeroides annulatus, Canthigaster punctatissima, Canthigaster valentini etc.
 Dominance of females observed in Sphoeroides maculatus
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SPECIES SPAWNING MONTHS
Uranostoma richei October – March
Sphoeroides nephelus August - May
Sphoeroides annulatus February – June
Marylina pleurosticta September - December
Tetractenos hamiltoni April & June – July
Tetraodon cutcutia March - July
Lagocephalus lunaris April – June & September - December
Lagocephalus spadiceus (West Coast) February – March & September - November
Lagocephalus spadiceus (East Coast) January - March
Lagocephalus inermis March – April & September - October
Carinotetraodon travancoricus June – July and September – October
Canthigaster valentini February – March & July- August
Lagocephalus sceleratus March - June

17.  SPAWNING LOCATION
 Skewed sex ratios in spawning season indicate some kind of migration by
one sex (Sphoeroides annulatus, Sphoeroides greeleyi, Sphoeroides
testudineus)
 Absence of species coinciding with spawning
 Mature T. pleurogramma migrate out of the estuary to spawn in shallow
coastal waters between October and January.
 M. pleurosticta were not caught during November
 T. hamiltoni were also not caught in November and December
 S. nephelus migrate out of coastal waters to mangrove or seagrass in winter
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18.  GONADOSOMATIC INDEX
 Ratio of gonad weight to body weight of fish, expressed in percentage
 Helpful in drawing conclusions on time of peak spawning
 Shows greater values during the spawning month
 Monthly variation supports annual spawning seasonality
 Patterns may or may not be similar for males and females
 Values remains high for males over extended periods in males as in Uranostoma
richei and Sphoeroides maculatus
 Mean monthly values with or without significant difference
 Female GSI values higher than that of males
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19.  SEASONAL CHANGES IN GSI, Kn AND HSI
 Direct correlation between hepatosomatic index and body condition index, and
an inverse correlation of these factors to gonadosomatic index
 HSI decreased after months of intense reproduction and recovering during
reproductive inactivity
 Role of lipid reserves in liver in providing energy for reproduction
 Change in colour and texture of liver with different stages of the gametogenic
cycle
 Kn found to be less variable
 Lesser role of body fat and muscle in providing energy
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20. BREEDING
BEHAVIOUR
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21.  Observed to be broadcast spawners (Torquigener flavimaculosus), fractional or
multiple spawners (Carinotetraodon travancoricus)
 Many are reported to be seasonal spawners (Lagocephalus spp.) while some are
known to spawn throughout the year (Canthigaster valentini)
 Eggs of Fugu spp., Sphoeroides spp., Tetraodon spp. and Carinotetraodon spp.
are typically spherical
 Some shows parental care as in C.travancoricus, Tetraodon cochinchinensis, T.
cutcutia, T. palembangensis and T. turgidus while species like T. biocellatus, C.
irrubesco and C. lorteti don’t
 Fecundity was observed to be higher for marine species in comparison with
freshwater puffers
 The eggs were characterized by the presence of dense cluster small oil globules
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22.  Incubation period varied from 2 – 10 days
 Species that spawned larger eggs and grew faster tended to be more likely to
protect their eggs.
 Long incubation periods due to particular reproductive strategy
 Embryonic development studies done through induced breeding
 Usually divided into 7 – 8 stages
 The fast-growing group took fewer days to consume the yolk and to commence
swimming than the slow-growing group
 Maturational dysfunction in culture conditions for which LHRHa treatment can
be used
 In natural habitats certain migratory patterns related to spawning are being
observed
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23. REFERENCES
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24.  Ajitkumar, C.R., Devi, K.R., Thomas, K.R. and Biju, C.R. 1999. Fish fauna, abundance and distribution in
Chalakudy river system, Kerala. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 96(2): 244-254.
 Dahanukar, N., Raut, R. and Bhat, A. 2004. Distribution, endemism and threat status of freshwater fishes
in the Western Ghats of India. Journal of Biogeography 31: 123-136.
 G. Habib (1979) Reproductive biology of the pufferfish, Uranostoma richei (Plectognathi:
Lagocephalidae), from Lyttelton harbour, New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 13:1,
71-78
 Laroche J.L., Davis J. 1973. Age, growth and reproduction of the northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus.
Fishery Bulletin 71 (4): 955–963
 Karmakar P., Biswas S.P. 2014. Reproductive Biology of Tetraodon cutcutia (Pisces: Tetraodontidae) from
Meleng River in Jorhat District, Assam. The International Journal Of Science & Technoledge 2 (7):23-26
 Piah R.M., Bucher D.J. 2014. Reproductive biology of estuarine pufferfish, Marilyna pleurosticta and
Tetractenos hamiltoni (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae) in northern New South Wales: Implications for
biomonitoring. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 136 (1): 219–229.
 Valdez-Pineda M.C., Morán-Angulo R.E., Voltolina D., Castillo-Vargasmachuca S. 2014. Population
structure and reproductive aspects of puffer fish Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns, 1842) (Osteichthyes:
Tetraodontidae), landed in Teacapán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Res., 42(1): 121-126
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