title: Use of a novel induced spawning technique for the first reported captive spawning of Tetraodon nigroviridis.
abstract: The spotted green pufferfish (Tetraodon nigroviridis) is an important genetics model animal due to its small, well-mapped genome. However, only wild-caught juveniles and adults are available to researchers. A lack of gametes, fertilized eggs, developing embryos, and other early life stages hampers development of the full potential of T. nigroviridis as a model research species. We report on successful spawning trials using a novel induced spawning technique, ovarian lavage. Chorulon(®) (human chorionic gonadotropin, hCG) was injected into a catheter inserted into the oviduct at a rate of 3 μl/g body weight. In one trial, a female paired with a male spawned in an aquarium at about 72 h post-treatment. In other trials, females were hand-stripped of eggs at 36 h post-treatment. There were 3680 eggs/g of eggs and females produced up to 24% of their body weight in eggs. Hatch resulted from all trials on the 4th day post-fertilization. Ovarian lavage is a simple method for administering spawning hormones, uses a catheter technique similar to that frequently performed to determine egg maturity in broodstock, and eliminates the need for injection.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Ruskin, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Jeffrey Scott
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Kathy Heym
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kilgore