Gonadal traits and nutrient compositions of novel sea urchin hybrids of Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus (♀) and Strongylocentrotus intermedius (♂)

Abstract

Gonadal traits and nutrient compositions of a distant hybridization of adult sea urchins (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus♀ × Strongylocentrotus intermedius♂, HpS hybrids) were analyzed in this study. The results indicated that 1) there was sex differentiation in the HpS hybrids, whereas mature gametes were scarcely found. 2) Ranges of the wet weight of gonads (GWW), lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) were 9.54 ± 2.63 g, 53.82 ± 4.15, 24.83 ± 7.25, and 43.55 ± 12.54, respectively. There were no significant differences between female and male HpS hybrids in the above gonadal traits. 3) Amino acid analysis showed that percent delicious amino acids (DAAs) and percent essential amino acids (EAAs) in the gonads of HpS hybrids were 46.07 ± 2.26 % and 40.30 ± 2.00 %, respectively; 4) Fatty acid analysis indicated that percent of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) was 46.74 ± 6.05 % in gonadal tissues of HpS hybrids. All observations suggest that the HpS hybrids can be a prospective aquaculture urchin species with good gonadal quality.

Keywords

• Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus
• Strongylocentrotus intermedius
• Distant hybridization
• Gonadal traits
• Nutrient compositions