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The accessory nidamental glands of Loligo forbesi (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae): characterization of symbiotic bacteria and preliminary experiments to investigate factors controlling sexual maturation
Author(s) -
LumKong A.,
Hastings T. S.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04443.x
Subject(s) - biology , loligo , bacteria , symbiotic bacteria , sexual maturity , zoology , ecology , symbiosis , genetics , squid
Accessory nidamental glands present in female myopsid and sepioid species have been previously reported to harbour bacteria, and descriptions of the bacterial isolates were limited to morphology or pigmentation. As yet, no attempt has been made to describe the biochemical characteristics nor to identify the isolates. The accessory nidamental glands undergo a colour change during maturation which is attributed to the symbiotic bacteria. Since the colour of the bacteria in the glands has been reported to reflect the maturity state of the host, they are potentially useful in investigations examining factors influencing sexual maturation in cephalopods. The present study describes the physical and biochemical characteristics of bacteria isolated from the accessory nidamental glands of Loligo forbesi Steenstrup and utilizes the isolates in preliminary experiments to investigate factors controlling sexual maturation.