• Development and Reproduction
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2003

The seasonal reproductive cycle of the female honeycomb grouper, Epinephelus merra, inhabiting Chuuk was examined by histological observations of the ovaries. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) began to increase in February and peaked in March. Histological observations revealed many oocytes laden with yolk in the ovaries from March to April. From June to January, the ovaries were occupied by immature oocytes. These results suggest that the reproductive season of E. merra in Chuuk is from March through April.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2010

We investigated the androgenic effects of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) on gonadal sex reversal and spermatogenesis in honeycomb grouper Epinephelus merra by method of gonadal biopsy. 11-KT was injected intramuscularly at a concentration of 1 and $10{\mu}g$ body weight. The proportion of cross sectional area of the gonad occupied by each germ cell type was measured and compared pre- and post-injection group. During the sex change phase, the distribution ratio of oocytes was decreased in all fish of 11-KT treatment group while the distribution ratio of spermatocytes was increased than pre-injection group. In male phase, all fish of 11-KT treatment group shown the increased distribution ratio of spermatocytes, but the distribution ratio of spermatozoa was decreased than pre-injection group. The present results suggest that 11-KT can stimulate degeneration of oocytes, proliferation of spermatocytes and spermiation in honeycomb grouper.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.414-422
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• 2004

To infer phylogenetic relationships among Epinephelus species inhabiting coastal regions of Korean peninsula, mitochondrial cytochrome b genes from 9 species belonging to the subfamily Epinephelinae were PCR-amplified, cloned and sequenced. Aligned cytochrome b sequences of 10 species containing one additional sequence from GenBank were 1,140 base pairs in length, including 439 variable and 330 parsimony informative sites. The cytochrome b genes of 10 species, as other vertebrates studied to date, exhibit unequal base compositions: an entirely low G content ($15.2{\pm}0.3{\%}$on average) and almost equal T, C and A contents ($29.3{\pm}0.8{\%},\;30.7{\pm}1.0{\%},\;and\;24.8{\pm}0.5{\%}$ on average, respectively).In third codon positions, transitional substitutions especially between Epinephelus species and outgroup species are almost certainly saturated or near saturation. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with sequence data from 8 Epinephelus species and 2 outgroup species (Cephalopholis urodela and Vaviola louti) by using distance-based (neighbor-joining and minimum evolution) and parsimony-based (maximum parsimony) methods. The results showed that the monophyly of the genus Epinephelus was supported by relatively high bootstrap values. However, phylogenetic relationships among E. areolatus, E. moara, E. septemfasciatus, and Epinephelus sp were poorly resolved. Within the genus Epinephelus, three resolved monophyletic groups were found: clade 1 included E. akaara and E. awoara;, clade 2 included E. fasciatus and E. merra; and clade 3 included E. akaara, E. awoara, E. fasciatus, E. merra, E. areolatus, E. moara, E. septemfasciatus and Epinephelus Sp.