Directional asymmetry in gonad length indicates moray eels (Teleostei, Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) are "right-gonadal".

ABSTRACT: Directional asymmetry indicates a unidirectional deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry, which was rarely examined in the inner organs of the teleost (Teleostei) compared to external traits. This study examines the directional asymmetry in the gonad length of 20 species of moray eels (Muraenidae) and two outgroup species with 2959 individuals. We tested three hypotheses: (1) moray eel species did not exhibit directional asymmetry in the gonad length; (2) the directional asymmetry pattern was the same for all selected species; (3) the directional asymmetry was not related to the major habitat types, depth and size classes, and taxonomic closeness of the species. Moray eels were generally "right-gonadal", the right gonad length being constantly and significantly longer than the left one i

SUBMITTER: Lin YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9941099 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature