African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12487

Full Length Research Paper

Test and gonad characteristics in different genders of cultivated sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus intermedius, Agassiz): First insight into sexual identification

  Chong Zhao, Weijie Zhang, Yaqing Chang* and Pingjin Liu  
Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian-116023, China.  
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 08 October 2010
  •  Published: 01 November 2010

Abstract

 

Ten test and gonad characters in both genders of cultured sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus intermedius, Agassiz) were investigated for sexual identification and sex ratio. Both test (test height-diameter ratio) and gonad characters (gonad index, gonad color and gonad moisture content) were significantly different between male and female sea urchins. For the first time, we report that cultivated female sea urchins are flatter than males. This could provide some new insight into the sexual identification of S. intermedius. The sex ratio of cultured sea urchins kept 1:1 at the density of 5 × 103g/m3, suggests that land-based aquaculture of sea urchins at a density of 5 × 103g/mcan keep the balanced equilibrium on the sex ratio.

 

Key words: Strongylocentrotus intermedius, test height-diameter ratio, sexual identification, sex ratio in aquaculture.

Abbreviation

 

Abbreviations: GI, Gonad index; GMC, gonad moisture content; HDR, test height-diameter ratio; TH, test height; TD, test diameter; BW, body weight; HWR, test height-body weight ratio; DWR, test diameter-body weight ratio; GW, gonad wet weight.