Histological Investigation of the Female Gonads of Chiropsalmus quadrumanus (Cubozoa: Cnidaria) Suggests Iteroparous Reproduction

Author(s)

Garcia-Rodriguez, Jimena ; Ames, Cheryl Lewis ; Jaimes-Becerra, Adrian ; Tiseo, Gisele Rodrigues ; Morandini, Andre Carrara ; Cunha, Amanda Ferreira ; Marques, Antonio Carlos

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: DIVERSITY-BASEL; v. 15, n. 7, p. 15-pg., 2023-07-01.

Abstract

The box jellyfish Chiropsalmus quadrumanus (Chirodropida: Cubozoa: Cnidaria) is common in warm waters. Although it is assumed that external fertilization is a characteristic of Chirodropida, the life history of C. quadrumanus is not yet known since its reproductive behavior has never been described, nor has the polyp has been found in nature. As a result, in the absence of documentation of reproductive behavior, we sought to test the hypothesis of external fertilization through a histological analysis of the female gonads. Herein, we analyze ten females collected in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and describe the gonadal organization and pattern of oocyte development. The discovery of four distinct stages of oocyte differentiation augments the scant existing reports of the structural and functional maturation of sex cells in Cubozoa species. Furthermore, the gonads of mature females comprise both mature (average diameter of 122 & mu;m) and immature oocytes, suggesting that C. quadrumanus is iteroparous and exhibits multiple reproductive cycles during its life. Medusa bell size was not found to correlate with maturity state as even small females possessed a high percentage of oocytes in late vitellogenesis, suggesting that sexual maturation occurs rapidly in C. quadrumanus females. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/12970-5 - Sexual reproduction in jellyfish species (Scyphozoa, Cnidaria) of Southeast Brazilian coast
• Grantee: Gisele Rodrigues Tiseo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 21/09739-5 - Oogenesis in Cubozoa species: is the morphology of the female gonads different between internal and external fertilization?
• Grantee: Jimena Garcia Rodriguez
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 19/01370-2 - Comparative analysis of the gonadal structures of Cubozoa in the evolutionary context of Medusozoa (Cnidaria)
• Grantee: Jimena Garcia Rodriguez
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 11/50242-5 - Dimensions of marine life: patterns and process of diversifications in planktonic and benthic cnidarians
• Grantee: Antonio Carlos Marques
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants