A hermaphroditic Port Jackson shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni , with complete and separate female and male reproductive tracts

Jones, A.A., White, W.T. and Potter, I.C. (2005) A hermaphroditic Port Jackson shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni , with complete and separate female and male reproductive tracts. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, 85 (05). pp. 1171-1172.

Abstract

One of 353 Port Jackson sharks, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, caught off the southern coast of Western Australia, was a hermaphrodite. The female reproductive tract consisted of a large (functional) right ovary with three large yolked ova, a small non-functional left ovary and two well-developed uteri and oviducal glands. The male tract comprised two conspicuous but undeveloped testes, two vas deferens and two calcified claspers with grooves. This individual represents the first published example of hermaphroditism in the order Heterodontiformes and is a rare example of an elasmobranch with a complete suite of both male and female reproductive structures.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Copyright:	© 2005 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/15069

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