Morphochromatic spectrum through gonad development stages of the razor surgeonfish, Prionurus laticlavius (Valenciennes, 1846) (Actinopterygii: Acanthuriformes)

Abstract

Gonad development stages (GDS) are a critical tool that can be easily applied in fisheries to visually discriminate mature from immature organisms and assess their reproductive condition. This study proposes a morphochromatic scale to define gonad development stages for razor surgeonfish (Prionurus laticlavius) based on morphological and structural assessments of the gonad, histologically validated using multivariate dummy matrices modeled through multiple linear regression analyses. Gonads of 271 specimens were photographed prior to preservation to describe their shape, size, color, and turgor for morphochromatic analysis. Later, gonads were processed using standard histological methods. An oocyte growth scale was designed based on oocyte diameter and follicular wall thickness for each stage. In addition, five morphochromatic gonad development stages were histologically validated: immature, developing, spawning capable, regressing, and regenerating. Morphochromatic variations were observed in the last three stages in both sexes. Results show that gonad morphology and structure of P. laticlavius are similar to those of other acanthurids, albeit with some asymmetric and morphological differences, as well as gonad morphochromatic in both sexes. These findings confirm that maturation is species‐specific. Also, although not a critical character, gonad colouration was found to play a major role in distinguishing between gonad development stages along with shape, size, vascularity (females), and folds (males). Therefore, gonad colouration should not be entirely overlooked because doing so may lead to errors in determining sexual maturity stages.