Evidence for the secondary sexual development of the anal fin in female kokanee salmon Oncorhynchus nerka.

Abstract

This study examines whether the anal fin undergoes secondary sexual development similar to other reproductive traits in salmonids. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the anal-fin size of female kokanee salmon Oncorhynchus nerka that were in the early and late stages of sexual development. Females in an advanced stage of maturation had significantly larger anal fins relative to females in an early state of maturation (+4-7%), indicating that the anal fin undergoes secondary sexual development. The magnitude of this secondary growth was comparable with snout length (+9-10%), which is known to undergo secondary sexual development in female salmonids. When morphological trait dimensions were compared between the sexes, the anal fin was the only morphological trait found to have a female-biased sexual size dimorphism. This is the first study to show that the anal fin of female salmonids undergoes secondary sexual development.