Anatomical features of sex inversion in the rainbow wrasse, coris julis

Abstract

In an anatomical study of 206 Coris julis (L.) taken in the Bay of Naples from September’81 to August’82, we found gonad organization to vary with the seasons, and that inversion occurs not only in empty gonads at the end of the reproductive period, but also in ovaries in active vitellogenesis, before the reproductive period. According to the criteria adopted by Reinboth (1975) and Dipper & Pullin (1979) for the histological differentiation of a primary into a secondary testis, we observed that of 21 individuals with a primary testis. 17 had an initial, and 4 had a terminal, colour pattern. Our data agree substantially with those of Bacci and Raz- zauti (1957), but differ notably from Reinboth’s (1975). © 1983 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.