Observations on the seasonal breeding biology and fine structure of the egg surface in the white piranha Serrasalmus brandtii from the São Francisco River basin, Brazil

Abstract

In the Juramento Reservoir, south-eastern Brazil, the white piranha Serrasalmus brandtii showed a prolonged reproductive season, with evidence for multiple spawning and a reproductive peak associated with seasonal rains. The egg surface exhibited a honeycomb-like pore canal arrangement and an adhesive apparatus surrounding the micropyle. Electron microscopic analysis suggests a role for the micropylar cell and neighbouring follicular cells in secretion of substances for egg attachment.