Embryonic and Larval Development of an Interspecific Grouper Backcross Between the Kelp Grouper (Epinephelus moara) ♀ and KGGG (E. moara ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂) ♂

作者：Yidan Xu, Yongsheng Tian, Shihao Wang, Tangtang Ding, Linna Wang, Zhentong Li, Linlin Li, Yang Liu · 发表于：Fishes · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/fishes10100488 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Marine and coastal plant biology、Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species、Food Industry and Aquatic Biology

Backcrossing serves as an effective tool for interspecific gene introgression, facilitating germplasm improvement. To develop superior grouper aquaculture varieties, in this study, a backcrossed breed was constructed by crossing a male hybrid grouper, KGGG (Epinephelus moara ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂), with a female parent kelp grouper (KG; E. moara). Here, we observed embryonic, larval development, and morphological changes in KG × KGGG. Additionally, the total length and body weight of the backcrossed breed and maternal parent were compared at 160 d post hatching (dph). The results showed that fertilization and the hatching rate were 73.23 ± 4.23% and 51.74 ± 3.67%, respectively, and the egg size was 0.89 ± 0.03 mm. Hatching occurred 23:19 h after fertilization at 25 ± 1 °C, and the newly hatched larvae were 1.94 ± 0.13 mm in length. Furthermore, at 160 dph, the total length and body weight of the backcrossed breed were 1.2-fold and 1.9-fold greater, respectively, when compared with those of the maternal parent. Importantly, it is possible that backcrossed KG × KGGG could become a dominant strain in grouper aquaculture practices.