Reproduction in Fish

William C Hamlett, Indiana University School of Medicine, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

Published online: July 2003

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0001852

Reproduction in fishes generally involves external fertilization and development of yolk-reliant offspring; however, there are a variety of live-bearing species that utilize internal fertilization and a wide array of developmental mechanisms to support their developing young.

Keywords: osteichthyes; chondrichthyes; oviparity; viviparity; reproduction

Figure 1. Yolk-reliant shark embryo attached via yolk stalk to the yolk sac.
Figure 2. Stingray embryo removed from the uterus (ut) lined with trophonemata (tr).
Figure 3. Placental shark pup with umbilical cord (uc) attached to placenta (p).
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 Further Reading
    Fricke H and Frahm J (1992) Evidence for lecithotrophic viviparity in the living coelacanth. Naturwissenschaften 79: 476–479.
    book Hamlett WC (1998) "Placenta and placental analogs in elasmobranchs". In: Knobil E and Neill JD (eds) Encyclopedia of Reproduction, vol. 3, pp. 197–206. London: Academic Press
    book Hamlett WC (ed.) (1999) "Male reproductive system". In: Sharks, Skates, and Rays: Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes, pp. 444–470. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press
    book Hamlett WC and Koob T (1999) "Female reproductive system". Hamlett WC Sharks, Skates, and Rays: Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes, pp. 398–443. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
    Heemstra P and Compagno LJV (1989) Uterine cannibalism and placental viviparity in the coelacanth? A skeptical view. Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Wetenskap 85: 485–486.
    Heemstra P and Greenwood D (1992) New observations on the visceral anatomy of the late-term fetuses of the living coelacanth fish and the oophagy controversy. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 249: 49–55.
    book Koob TJ and Callard IP (1991) "Reproduction in female elasmobranchs". Kinne RKH Oogenesis, Spermatogenesis and Reproduction, Comparative Physiology, vol. 10, pp. 155–209. Basel: Karger
    Schindler JF and Hamlett WC (1993) Maternal–embryonic relations in viviparous teleosts. Journal of Experimental Zoology 266: 378–393.
    Wourms JP, Atz JW and Stribling MD (1991) Viviparity and the maternal–embryonic relationship in the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae. Environmental Biology of Fishes 32: 225–248.

Related Sub-Topics:

Gametogenesis and Fertilisation | Life History and Reproduction
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Article Title: Reproduction in Fish
 
How to Cite close
Hamlett, William C(Jul 2003) Reproduction in Fish. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0001852]