Reproductive Patterns of Camotillo (Paralabrax albomaculatus)
The genus of Paralabrax, commonly known as the Rock Bass, are quite important economically and ecologicaly, yet little is known about their sexual patterns. This research project will specifically focus on the sexual patterns of samples of the fish species Paralabrax albomaculatus (Camotillo Sand Bass), collected in the Galapagos Islands. 56 samples of Paralabrax albomaculatus gonads will be fixed with Dietrich’s fixative, dehydrated with varying concentrations of alcohol, sectioned and placed on slides, and stained with dyes. Stained slides will be looked at under a microscope to determine the sex of the sample. Sex is identified by oocytes (eggs) for a female, testicular tissue for a male, small oocytes with or without presumptive testicular tissue for an immature female, or a mixture of male and female tissue for a hermaphrodite. This data will be compared against both the size and age of the fish collected to determine the sexual patterns of the Paralabrax albomaculatus. The reproductive patterns of Paralabrax albomaculatus will be important for fisheries to understand given that this species is classified as endangered.