Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris

There has been a great interest in common octopus Octopus vulgaris aquaculture in recent years and commercial production is within reach. O. vulgaris is a short-lived semelparous species with a long spawning period. Therefore, monitoring ovary maturation in cultured octopuses can be useful in the sc...

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Main Authors: Lorenzo Márquez, Pauline Weterings, Samar Saber, Beatriz C. Felipe, Sofia Maccuro, Marta Serrano, Eve Seuntjens, Francisco Acosta-Cifuentes, María González, Eduardo Almansa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Aquaculture Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513425004119
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author Lorenzo Márquez
Pauline Weterings
Samar Saber
Beatriz C. Felipe
Sofia Maccuro
Marta Serrano
Eve Seuntjens
Francisco Acosta-Cifuentes
María González
Eduardo Almansa
author_facet Lorenzo Márquez
Pauline Weterings
Samar Saber
Beatriz C. Felipe
Sofia Maccuro
Marta Serrano
Eve Seuntjens
Francisco Acosta-Cifuentes
María González
Eduardo Almansa
author_sort Lorenzo Márquez
collection DOAJ
description There has been a great interest in common octopus Octopus vulgaris aquaculture in recent years and commercial production is within reach. O. vulgaris is a short-lived semelparous species with a long spawning period. Therefore, monitoring ovary maturation in cultured octopuses can be useful in the scheduling of hatchery operations and management of culture resources. The present work assessed ovary volume as a proxy for maturity status in cultured and wild common octopus by means of a noninvasive technique, ultrasonography, to anticipate the time of spawning in aquaculture. A total of 27 octopuses (15 cultured females with initial wet weights from 600 to 4600 g, and 12 wild females weighing 990–4800 g) in different ovarian maturation stages were used in ultrasonographic procedures. Ultrasound-based ovary volumes were compared with real ovarian volumes and then the ultrasonography-based gonadosomatic index (GSIU) was estimated. Data from cultured females indicate that GSIU was initially below 0.3 cm3 per 100 g of body weight in immature animals, and attained a fast increase until reaching about 4.0 cm3 per 100 g of body weight just before spawning. The steep increase in relative volume occurred similarly in females of different body weights. Furthermore, the specific growth rate of cultured animals decreases with time, and with GSIU. Lastly, a linear mixed model indicated a significantly negative and logarithmic relationship between the time to spawning and GSIU in captive females. This relationship can be used to predict spawning time in immature and maturing females, helping in the management of octopus broodstock in research and production facilities.
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spelling doaj-art-6423fc4ae31d4bc3952c37f69ef14f442025-08-20T03:40:33ZengElsevierAquaculture Reports2352-51342025-09-014310302510.1016/j.aqrep.2025.103025Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgarisLorenzo Márquez0Pauline Weterings1Samar Saber2Beatriz C. Felipe3Sofia Maccuro4Marta Serrano5Eve Seuntjens6Francisco Acosta-Cifuentes7María González8Eduardo Almansa9Centro de Investigación, Innovación y Creación (CIIC-UCT), NIPA, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, ChileLaboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumCentro Oceanográfico de Málaga (COMA-IEO), CSIC, Málaga, SpainCentro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC-IEO), CSIC, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainLaboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumCentro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC-IEO), CSIC, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainLaboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumCentro Oceanográfico de Málaga (COMA-IEO), CSIC, Málaga, SpainCentro Oceanográfico de Málaga (COMA-IEO), CSIC, Málaga, SpainCentro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC-IEO), CSIC, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; Corresponding author.There has been a great interest in common octopus Octopus vulgaris aquaculture in recent years and commercial production is within reach. O. vulgaris is a short-lived semelparous species with a long spawning period. Therefore, monitoring ovary maturation in cultured octopuses can be useful in the scheduling of hatchery operations and management of culture resources. The present work assessed ovary volume as a proxy for maturity status in cultured and wild common octopus by means of a noninvasive technique, ultrasonography, to anticipate the time of spawning in aquaculture. A total of 27 octopuses (15 cultured females with initial wet weights from 600 to 4600 g, and 12 wild females weighing 990–4800 g) in different ovarian maturation stages were used in ultrasonographic procedures. Ultrasound-based ovary volumes were compared with real ovarian volumes and then the ultrasonography-based gonadosomatic index (GSIU) was estimated. Data from cultured females indicate that GSIU was initially below 0.3 cm3 per 100 g of body weight in immature animals, and attained a fast increase until reaching about 4.0 cm3 per 100 g of body weight just before spawning. The steep increase in relative volume occurred similarly in females of different body weights. Furthermore, the specific growth rate of cultured animals decreases with time, and with GSIU. Lastly, a linear mixed model indicated a significantly negative and logarithmic relationship between the time to spawning and GSIU in captive females. This relationship can be used to predict spawning time in immature and maturing females, helping in the management of octopus broodstock in research and production facilities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513425004119UltrasonographyOvarian volumeGonadosomatic indexTime to spawningSpecific growth rateOctopus vulgaris females
spellingShingle Lorenzo Márquez
Pauline Weterings
Samar Saber
Beatriz C. Felipe
Sofia Maccuro
Marta Serrano
Eve Seuntjens
Francisco Acosta-Cifuentes
María González
Eduardo Almansa
Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris
Aquaculture Reports
Ultrasonography
Ovarian volume
Gonadosomatic index
Time to spawning
Specific growth rate
Octopus vulgaris females
title Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris
title_full Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris
title_fullStr Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris
title_full_unstemmed Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris
title_short Ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in Octopus vulgaris
title_sort ultrasound measurements reveal predictable relationship between spawning time and ovarian growth in octopus vulgaris
topic Ultrasonography
Ovarian volume
Gonadosomatic index
Time to spawning
Specific growth rate
Octopus vulgaris females
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513425004119
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