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Reproductive Condition in the Caspian Anadromous Shad Alosa kessleri kessleri (Alosidae) during Spawning Migration in the Volga River

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This paper describes the state of the gonads of Caspian anadromous shad, Alosa kessleri kessleri (Grimm, 1887), migrating for spawning in the Akhtuba River. In May of 2021, the peak of spawning was recorded at a water temperature of 17–18°C. Females and males had gonads at the developing and spawning-capable phases. The fork length (FL) of females averaged 254.1 mm, and their body weight was 178.9 g; for males, this was 209.9 mm and 87.5 g, respectively. Most females were over three years old, while males were between one and three years old. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) in females and males averaged 8.71 and 3.67%, respectively. Among the asynchronously developing secondary growth oocytes in the spawning capable gonads, three different-sized groups were distinguished for intending to spawn the same number of oocyte batches. The number of primary growth oocytes (26.7–59.4% of germ cells on sections) allows for considering these fish as iteroparous. The diameter of the tertiary vitellogenic oocyte was about 800 µm.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors express their gratitude to the founder and employees of “Delta Akhtuby”: M.A. Arifullin for comprehensive assistance in the work performance, D.V. Maryshev and A.A. Zolotukhin for active assistance in data collecting in the field.

Funding

The research was carried out within the scientific project of Moscow State University no. 121032300100-5 and the project of Moscow State University “Noah’s Ark” (processing of materials, preparation of summary tables and figures), as well as with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, grant no. 19-14-00015-P (preparation of manuscripts).

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  1. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    K. A. Zhukova, N. G. Emel’yanova, K. V. Kuzishchin & M. A. Gruzdeva

  2. Faculty of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen, China

    K. A. Zhukova

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  1. K. A. Zhukova
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Zhukova, K.A., Emel’yanova, N.G., Kuzishchin, K.V. et al. Reproductive Condition in the Caspian Anadromous Shad Alosa kessleri kessleri (Alosidae) during Spawning Migration in the Volga River. J. Ichthyol. 63, 762–769 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945223040227

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