Notes on the externa!

sex characters

of Chanos chanos Forskal spawners

H. Chaudhuti, J. Juario, A. Samson and R. Mateo

Well·marked externa! structural differences distinguishing the sexes are not usually present

in tetecsts excepting a few cyprmodonts in which the male possesses an intromittent organ

Secondary sexual characters, however, are present in the mature adults of many species of bony

f,shes. In general, females are larger than males excepting a few flshes (murrels and sorne crchhds]

where there is parental care. Many fishes, especially the cyprinids, exhibit secondary sexual

characters during the spawn1ng season by the bright coloration of the male, appearance of horny

tubercles on the snout of male as m btunt-nose minnow Hvborhvnchus norarus (Ramaswamy

and Hasler, 1955), nasal pares and difference m sh ape, i e and length
s z of fms (Punrius dubius),

roughness of the operculum (g oldf1sh Carassius auratusJ, appearance of bony ridges on the pectoral

fin rays o f males of Chinese carps ff ang, 19 54) and roughness of the pectoral fins in the males

of l ndian carps ( Chaudhun. 1959).

I n cathshes, the sex is usu ally determined fr om the i e

s z and sha pe of t he gemta l papilla

and also in sorne specres fr om the stru cture o f the pectoral and pelvic fms. I n the catfish Ompok

bimaculacus, the pectoral spine n the

i male dev elops serrations which are v ery prominent durmg

the sp awning s eason (C haudhuri, 1962), wh ereas m the kanduli Arius menüensis. th e pelvic fm

in the emale
f is much larger and thicker having a canilagenous structure in comparison to that of

the male which is s maller and thi nner ( Mane, 1929) In the channel catflsh lctalurus punctatus,

the male has a single urogemtal op ening, whereas the female possesses an anterior ge nital p ore

anda posterior u rinary pore (N orton, et al., 1976).

ln our present study, we did not find any visible differences be tween the sexes wrth

re ference to ex terna! features uch

s as ccrcrencn, shape of head, snout and operculum, presence

of tubercles or nasal pores. length, size and shape as well as any roughness in the various fms.

However, the anal region of the mature milkfish exhibits discermble anatomical differences in

the male and female.

I n the males, there are 2 main openings visible externally. These are the anterior anus and

the posterior urogenital opening at the tip of the urccenuer papilla (Fig. 1 and Plate 1) . 1nternally,

the vasa deferentia (male ge nital ducts) from the testes join into a common duct about 5. 10 mm

from the urogenital pore (F1g. 2) . The urinary pare opens into this common duct from the dorsal

side. In addition, there are 2 small pares situated on each srde of the base of the urogenital papilla

opening ventrally into the coelom

I n the females, there are 3 main openings in the anal region instead of 2 as found in he
t

m ales. The antenormost openmg is the anus followed by the genital pare. The third opening is

the urinary pare which is postenor to the genital pare loc:ated at the ttP of the urogenital pao1lla

(Fig. 1 and PI ate 1 ). On mternal examination, it was observed that the two oviducts 101n to form

one common broad ov1duct which finally opens through the genital pore (Fig. 2). I n lemales

just as in males, there are 2 lateral pores at the base of the urogenital papilla openmg into the

body cavity ( Fig. 1). The function of these abdominal pares is not known. Similar a bdommal

pores are also present m sharks and skates. According to Hvman (19 42 ) , in spiny doghsh "the

pleuro,Jeritoneal cavity cornmunicates with the exterior by means of the abdommal pores. There

17
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the anal region of milkfish.

,' "' - - - - ... ',,

� - - - - Anus - - - - - - - _ •

--o
_,- - - two pores opening - --.- -- _

//
- /
into the coelom
'
'
--
• Genital pore

Urogenital - - - U r i n a ry pore

pore Urogenital papilla - - - -- - -

MALE FEMALE

Plate 1 . Anal region of milkfish.

MALE FEMALE

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Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of the reproductive organs and anal region of milkfish.

test is

ovary
intestine

intestine

vas deferens

oviduct ·-
anus

anus

urinary o p e n i n g to

genital pore ·--._ common spermatic

duct ( d o r s a l l y )

urogenital
urogenital p a p i l l a
papilla

u ro g e n i t a l por"
u ri nary pore · -

ti. .
two openings - - - - - - · - · · - · - -- • two o p e n i n gs to

to coelom coelom
FEMALE MALE

will be found one on each side of the anal o p e n i n g ( i n the skate posterior to the a n u s ) , somewhat

concealed by a fold o r s k i n . T h e i r purpose is obscure."

I n ripe sabalo, i t is easier to d i s t i n g u i s h the sexes since m i l t oozes out of the u r o ge n i t a l pore

of the ripe male fish when its abdomen is pressed. The gravid females are identified by their

distended abdomens.

M a l e sabalos are u s u a l l y s m a ll e r in size than temales. The weight range of s p e c i m e n s e x a m i n e d

at the T i g b a u a n Station of the S E A F D E C Aquaculture Department varied from 3.5 to 7 . 0 kg in

males and 4 . 5 to 10.7 kg i n females. Specimens studied i n the station at Pandan, Antique in 1 9 7 5

showed that the males varied in weight from 4.1 to 7.4 kg whereas the females had a weight

range of 5 . 1 to 7 . 7 k g ( T i ro , e t. a l. , 1976).

The study on the differentiation of sexes of milkfish based on the externa! characters is

being continued. Our present observation on the anal region of adult m i l k fi s h has been used to

sex over 60 specimens with 100% accuracy. I n fact, t h i s method of se x i n g has been used regularly

in our milkfish breeding experiments leading to successful fertilization of milkfish eggs at

Tigbauan. l t is fe l t that the method is practica! and accurate for f i e l d purposes in s e x i n g m i l k f i s h

spawners.

19
L1terature Cited

Chaudhuri, H. 1959. Notes on the external characters distinguishing sex of breeders of the

common lndian carps. Sci. and Cull 25:258-259.

Chaudhuri, H. 1962. lnduced breeding and development of common catfish Ompok bim11t::ulatu$

IBloch.) Proc. lnd. Sc1. Cogr. 1962 .

Hyman, L. H. 1942. Comparative vertebrate anatomv, Universitv of Chicago Press, Chicago

37, 1942, 544 pp.

Mane, A M. 1929. A prehmlnarv study of the life history and habits of kanduli Arius sp. in

Laguna de Bay. The Phi1ippine Agriculturist, 18(20; 8 1 - 1 1 8 .

Norton, V. J., H. Nishimura and K. B. Davis, 1976. A technique for sexing channel catfish.

Trans. Am. Fish Seo. 3:460-462.

Ramaswamy, L. S. and A O. Hasler. 1955. Hormones and secondary se:x characters in the

mmnow Hyborhychus. Physiological zoology, 28( 1 ):62-68.

Tang, Y. A. 1954. On the processes and ridges on the pectoral in fin rays of the males of

Hypophthaimicthys molitrix (C. & V.) and Aristichtys nobilis (Richard), Fish. Cult. Rep.

Taiwan, 1 : 1 2 .

Tiro, L. 8. Jr., A C. Villatuz and W. E. Vanstone. 1976. Morphological measurements, gonadal

development and estimated ages of adult mi1kfish Chanos chanos captured in Pandan Bay

from 10 May - 16 June 1975. Proc. lnt. Milkfish Workshop Conf. May 19-12, 1976,

Tigbauan, lloilo, Philippines. Working Paper No. 16, 193-203.

20