Studies in teleostean reproduction. I. Embryonic hermaphroditism in Lebistes reticulatus

A study has been made of 155 Lebistes embryos, extending from fertilization until birth of the young. A period of embryonic hermaphroditism begins soon after the formation of the genital ridges (3.0 mm.) and continues until birth (6.5 to 7.0 mm.). Development is first ovarian; evidence is the universal occurrence, in all gonads, of many germ cells in typical ovarian synapsis. The gonads of one‐half of the embryos soon become testicular while those of the other half continue to develop as ovaries. In testicular gonads, all synaptic germ cells undergo pycnotic dissolution as the gonad hilus organizes into a prospective medulla. In ovaries, germ cells in synapsis continue to enlarge as definitive ovocytes. This embryonic hermaphroditism supports Witschi's explanation of sex determination in Lebistes, based on his own work on frogs and on Winge's discovery of unusual XX males in Lebistes. The embryology of gonads in Lebistes also suggests that in teleosts, as in amphibians, birds, and mammals, gonads develop from two distinct portions, a male medulla and a female cortex.