Annual reproductive cycle and rate of the spermatogenic process in male mosquitofish Gambusia affinis

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between the annual cycle of testicular development and external environment and the rate of spermatogenesis in the mosquitofish Gambusia affinis based on histological observations of testes. The annual reproductive cycle of the mosquitofish was divided into two periods, i.e., the spermatogenic period (May–October) and resting period (October–April). In the spermatogenic period, the transition from spermatogonia to spermatocytes begins and meiosis actively progresses. In the resting period, the transition from spermatogonia to spermatocytes ceases, meiosis of spermatocytes that already shifted by this period gradually progresses, and a considerable number of sperm balls are produced. Onset of spermatogenesis seems to be related to both a rise in water temperature and a prolonged photoperiod. 5-bromo-2″-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was a useful in vivo marker of DNA synthesizing spermatogenic cells. The results of immunohistochemical detection of injected BrdU indicated that 5 days are needed for the conversion of spermatocytes to spermatids, 5 days for spermatids to spermatozoa, and 10 days for spermatozoa to sperm balls.