Australian Museum Journal Papers from the Echinoderm Conference. 4. Sexual and asexual reproduction of Holothuria atra Jaeger at Heron Island Reef, Great Barrier Reef
- Shortform:
- Harriott, 1982, Aust. Mus. Mem. 16: 53–66
- Author(s):
- Harriott, Vicki
- Year published:
- 1982
- Title:
- Papers from the Echinoderm Conference. 4. Sexual and asexual reproduction of Holothuria atra Jaeger at Heron Island Reef, Great Barrier Reef
- Serial title:
- Australian Museum Memoir
- Volume:
- 16
- Start page:
- 53
- End page:
- 66
- DOI:
- 10.3853/j.0067-1967.16.1982.358
- Language:
- English
- Date published:
- 31 December 1982
- Cover date:
- 31 December 1982
- ISBN:
- ISBN 0-7305-5743-6
- ISSN:
- 0067-1967
- CODEN:
- AUNMA5
- Publisher:
- The Australian Museum
- Place published:
- Sydney, Australia
- Subjects:
- ECHINODERMATA; ECOLOGY
- Digitized:
- 04 February 2009
- Available online:
- 04 March 2009
- Reference number:
- 358
- EndNote package:
- EndNote file
- Title page:
- Title page (115kb PDF)
- Complete work:
- Complete work (1259kb PDF)
Abstract
Holothuria atra is the most common epifaunal holothurian on the reef flat at Heron Island. The gonad maturation cycle of H. atra was followed using gonad index estimations and histological examination. Gonad samples were taken at intervals of 6 to 8 weeks for 18 months. Mature gonads occurred in most samples, and gonad maturity peaked twice; in early winter and in summer. Sex ratio of female to male animals was not significantly different from a 1:2 ratio. Sex ratio ranged from 1:8.5 in animals weighing less than 100 g, to 1:0.7 in those over 1,000 g. H. atra commonly reproduces asexually by transverse binary fission. In 21 samples, each of approximately 50 animals, 6% to 70% of individuals were detectable products of asexual reproduction. Occurrence of frequent asexual reproduction compounds difficulties in estimation of growth parameters from data such as size-frequency distributions and growth increments.