Testicular development and serum sex steroid profiles during the annual sexual cycle of the male sturgeon hybrid the bester

Abstract

Testicular development in the adult male F1 sturgeon hybrid, the bester (Huso huso L. female x Acipenser ruthenus L. male), was examined monthly in relation to serum sex steroid levels. Spermatogenesis lasted for 1 year, with meiosis generally starting in September and spermiogenesis in November, although there was considerable variation in testicular developmental stages between fish sampled monthly. Testicular development continued, slowly, during the winter months until April. Fish did not exhibit spontaneous spermiation, and phagocytotic activity of Sertoli cells became prominent from May onwards. Androgen levels increased during Spermatogenesis and remained high throughout the pre‐spermiation period. In the degeneration stage, 11‐ketotestosterone concentrations declined to low levels, while testoster‐ one levels remained high. The serum concentration of 17,20β‐dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one was low throughout the reproductive cycle. Based on these results, it is suggested that the time appropriate for induction of final maturation would be from November–December to April when the testes are in the late stage of development.