380 L. J. BLACHER. 



Contiguous with the testicular tissue lies a mass containing dis- 

 integrated ovarian tissue (compare with Essenberg, 1923, Table 

 5, Fig. 25). In the testicular portion the various stages of 

 spermatogenesis can be found. To all appearance normal and 

 mature sperm cells gathered in cysts (Spermatophores) are just 

 as abundant and regular as can be observed in normal testis. 



DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY. 



It was observed in the description of the six Lebistes males that 

 the atrophy of the testis is paralleled by the disappearance of the 

 male sex colors. Based upon these facts the writer concludes 

 that the intensiveness, shape and development of the black and 

 especially the red and yellow pigment spots depend upon the 

 hormones produced in the testis in Lebistes. 



With the disappearance of the male sex coloration the indi- 

 vidual approaches the colorations of the female, that is to say, 

 the female coloration is the characteristic coloration of the 

 asexual forms. 



In the case of mammals, birds and amphibians it is known that 

 the coloration of the asexual forms approaches the sex colorations 

 of that sex which is homozygos as to sex chromosome composition. 

 In Lebistes, therefore, the male is heterozygos (XY) as to sex 

 chromosome composition and the female is homozygos (XX). 



Winge (8 and 9) has found in Lebistes reliculatus the presence 

 of the gene complex S which is located in the X-chromosome and 

 which is transmitted sex-linked. In other species of Lebistes 

 (comprising the majority of the species of this genus), the X- 

 chromosome is empty, that is devoid of color factors, and all 

 color characters are transmitted by the Y-chromosome (one 

 sided). The phenotypical manifestation of the S-complex in the 

 males described above consists in the yellowish tinge of the dorsal 

 fin and the orange line along the lower border of the tail fin and 

 possibly the contour of the red spot on the tail. 



No doubt the genes of the color pattern of the hermaphrodite 

 belong to the S-complex. These are the orange line along the 

 lower edge of the -tail fin, and the red pigment on the tail Any- 

 other color characters the genes of which are located in the Y- 

 chromosome, could not be found. Winge states that the Y- 



