Continuous laboratory production of fertile Fundulusheteroclitus (Walbaum) eggs lacking chorionic fibrils

Abstract

A brood stock of Fundulus heteroclitus (Walbaum) minnows was established at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. By use of the aquarium maintenance system described in this report the fish were induced to produce fertile eggs throughout the year. Additional data is presented to confirm that F. heteroclitus found in the vicinity of Beaufort, North Carolina produce eggs which lack chorionic fibrils, making them especially suitable for use in embryo development studies.

Fundulus heteroclitus Gonadotropin(s) 2. Year-round husbandry of animals with active pituitaries and responsive follicles

“…This result confirms the previous findings by Boyd and Simmonds (1974), as well as Redway and Redway (1980), that spawning in F. heteroclitus can be induced and sustained outside of the normal breeding season. In our case, a simple husbandry procedure was developed and thoroughly validated.…”

“…Although mummichogs are remarkable for their hardiness in captivity, they have been shown to exhibit stress responses similar to other less hardy species (Slicher et aL 1966;Miller and Tripp 1982a,b;Fries 1986;Bradford and Taylor 1987). A case in point is the finding that egg production by a laboratory population of mummichogs was adversely affected by stressful situations such as metabolite accumulation, flickering lights, vibration and excessive activity of laboratory personnel around the aquarium (Boyd and Simmonds 1974).…”

“…Attempts to extend the breeding season of F. heteroclitus have been carried out by several investigators. Continuous production of fertile F. heteroclitus eggs in the laboratory was achieved by husbandry procedures that involved careful monitoring of nitrogenous compounds, water temperature, availability of food and the use of special aquarium maintenance systems (Boyd and Simmonds 1974;Redway and Redway 1980). Several other studies also suggested that temperature and photoperiod are some of the most important factors influencing seasonal reproduction by F. heteroclitus Taylor 1983, 1984;Taylor 1986).…”

Effects of salinity on sublethal toxicity of atrazine to mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) larvae

“…Previous measurements of PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans in the liver of mummichog captured at Horton's Creek indicated low contamination and supported the selection of this site as a reference (Couillard and Nellis, 1999). To induce gonadal maturation, the water temperature was raised progressively from 10°C to 20°C, and a photoperiod of 14-h light: 10-h dark was maintained (Boyd and Simmonds, 1974;Couillard, 2002). The fish were fed ad libitum twice daily with pelleted cichlid food (Nutrafin Ò , Rolf C. Hagen Inc., Montreal, QC, Canada) supplemented with dried shrimps.…”

LAS inhibition of diffusion and uptake of tritiated uridine during teleost embryogenesis

“…According to Boyd and Simmonds (1974) fertile eggs were made suitable for utilization in eMbryogenesis studies by inducing Fundulus heteroclitus minnows to produce eggs lacking chorionic fibrils.…”