Jôsie S. Caldas & Leandro Godoya. (2019). Sperm characterization of the endangered Amazonian fish Hypancistrus zebra: Basic knowledge for reproduction and conservation strategies. Animal Reproduction Science, Available online 19 March 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2019.03.012
is an ornamental fish endemic to the Xingu River (Brazilian Amazon) and is critically endangered by the construction of a hydroelectric plant in its habitat and illegal fishing. In an attempt to create a germplasm bank for conservation purposes, in the present study there was characterization of H. zebra sperm for the first time and assessment of sperm quality throughout the year after successive stripping. Semen was collected four times during a year, and there was similar (P > 0.05) high quality for all values of sperm variables evaluated. Hypancistrus zebra sperm had an average motility rate of 88.60 ± 2.49% and membrane integrity rate of 87.93 ± 1.88%. There was a peculiar characteristic for the species, with an intermediate sperm vigor (3.00 ± 0.13) and a long duration of motility (14.72 ± 1.31 min) which is uncommon for freshwater fish. Semen had an overall mean of 79.13 ± 9.78% normal spermatozoa and 20.96 ± 9.76% of sperm cells with some morphological abnormalities. The most frequent morphological abnormalities were a degenerated head, an isolated head and a coiled flagellum. The collection of good quality semen throughout the year allows for the possible use of artificial reproduction techniques and cryopreservation for development of a germplasm bank that could contribute to successful conservation of this endangered Amazonian fish.
Since I cannot access the study without forking over $35,95, can you tell us if they too were killing zebras in order to do this research?
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I don't think any H. zebra was killed in this study, the H. zebra was donated by INPA in Manaus and probably origin by confiscation from traffickers. They used crude carp pituitary extract to rip males from semen.
Janne wrote: ↑26 Mar 2019, 17:19I don't think any H. zebra was killed in this study, the H. zebra was donated by INPA in Manaus and probably origin by confiscation from traffickers. They used crude carp pituitary extract to rip males from semen.
Just read the paper myself. I see no mentions of killing the fish, just injecting them with carp pituitary extract and stripping semen from anesthetized males.
I wonder where the zebras ended up when the research was completed?
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anonymous
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”" Daniel Patrick Moynihan
"The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it." Neil DeGrasse Tyson
