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Hermaphroditism in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis in the Sea of Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2024

Hiroshi Ashida Open the ORCID record for Hiroshi Ashida [Opens in a new window] ,
Yohei Tsukahara ,
Motoshige Yasuike ,
Yoji Nakamura ,
Keisuke Maeta  and
Yosuke Tanaka
Hiroshi Ashida*
Affiliation:
Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
Yohei Tsukahara
Affiliation:
Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
Motoshige Yasuike
Affiliation:
Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
Yoji Nakamura
Affiliation:
Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
Keisuke Maeta
Affiliation:
Tottori Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, 107 Takenouchidanchi, Sakai-Minato, Tottori 684-0046, Japan
Yosuke Tanaka
Affiliation:
Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Hiroshi Ashida; Email: ashida_hiroshi35@fra.go.jp
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Abstract

A case of hermaphrodism in a wild Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis from the Sea of Japan is reported. Morphologically and macroscopically, the gonad seemed to have both ovarian and testicular surfaces. Histological analysis showed that the gonad consisted of only sexually mature testis in all the sections examined, suggesting that the individual was male. Genetic analysis, however, indicated that the tissue samples from this individual had no male-specific genome region, resulting in it being inferred as a female. The observed inconsistency between genetic and histological analysis could help future understanding of the sex development of tunas.

Keywords

disorders of sex developmentintersexualitymaturitytunas
Type
Marine Record
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 104 , 2024 , e108
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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