WENNER ET AL.: LIFE HISTORY OF BLACK SEA BASS 



limits and asymptotic standard errors were also 

 derived from these data (Table 6). Estimates of an 

 average asymptotic size (LJ depended not only on 

 the number of age groups present and the distribu- 

 tion of individuals within each group, but also on the 

 curvature of the age-size relationship. An average 

 asymptotic size of 341 mm SL appeared conser- 

 vative. The largest fish aged was 390 mm SL and 

 only 0.6% of all C. striata sampled were larger than 

 341 mm SL. The largest specimen caught off the 

 South Carolina coast was estimated to be about 490 

 mm SL (S.C. Wildlife and Marine Resources Depart- 

 ment 6 ). Comparisons of von Bertalanffy back- 

 calculated and observed SL at age are in Table 5. 



Table 6. — Estimated von Bertalanffy parameters describing the 

 growth of Centropristis striata. The weighted residual sums of 

 squares = 238.46. SE = standard error; C.L. = confidence limits. 



Reproduction 



The generalized ovarian structure of C. striata is 

 similar to that of Epinephelus fulva (Smith 1965), 

 E. morio (Moe 1969), and Hemanthias vivanus 

 (Hastings 1981). The bilobed organ is suspended by 

 mesenteries from the swim bladder in the posterior 

 region of the body cavity. The lobes fuse posteriad, 

 and their lumina form a common oviduct. Blood 

 vessels and nerves enter the ovary at the anterior 

 point of each lobe's suspension and continue pos- 

 teriad medial to the supportive mesenteries along 

 the dorsomedial surface of each lobe. The lumina are 

 lined with folded germinal epithelium (ovarian 

 lamellae), within which oocytes develop and mature. 

 The lamellae are first seen protruding from the dor- 

 sal region of the lumen at the boundary of the ovary 

 and the alamellar oviduct. They continue along both 

 sides of the lumen in the area of gonadal confluence 

 until only the ventralmost region of the ovary is 

 alamellar. This alamellar area is confluent with the 

 oviduct and extends anteriad to half of the lengths 

 of each ovarian lobe (Fig. 6 A). The alamellar regions 

 of female gonads were bordered throughout their 

 extent by testicular precursor cells (Figs. 6A, B; 7A). 



Although these bands of cells were found in vary- 

 ing stages of development in all ovarian tissues, the 

 most active proliferation of identifiable sperma- 

 togenic tissue (as manifested by transitional gonads; 

 Table 7) occurred after the spring and fall spawn- 

 ing seasons (described later). Both increased ovarian 

 inactivity and degeneration coincided with the pro- 

 liferation of testicular tissue during sexual succes- 

 sion (simultaneous hermaphroditic development is 

 treated below). No instance of active ovarian devel- 

 opment concurrent with testicular degeneration was 

 observed. 



Sexual transition commenced in the posterior 

 region of the ovary with the expansion of testicular 

 lobes into the ovarian lumen. This proliferation pro- 

 ceeds anteriad, with sperm sinus forming in the 

 ovarian tunic adjacent to the testes. Testicular 

 growth appears to be the result of mitotic sperma- 

 togonial development, although limited spermato- 

 genic processes, including spermatozoa formation, 

 are not uncommon (Fig. 7B). The sperm sinuses, as 

 well as the vas deferens (which form within the ovi- 

 ductal wall) apparently result from ruptures in their 

 respective surrounding tissues, as suggested by 

 Hastings (1981), because there was no cell lining 

 associated with these structures (Fig. 7B). 



Simultaneously developed hermaphroditic gonads 

 were found in all maturity stages. However, only 

 3% of the fishes exhibited this phenomenon, and we 

 were unable to determine if the vas deferens had 

 an external opening; therefore, we lack definitive 

 proof that these fish were functional simultaneous 

 hermaphrodites. 



Histological sections of immature ovaries con- 

 tained only oogonia and small basophilic, previtel- 

 logenic oocytes about 8-100 /^m in diameter. Matur- 

 ing ovaries had oocytes 100-500 ^m in diameter, in 



Table 7.— Monthly sex composition data for Centropristis striata 

 along with x 2 values for tests of a 1 :1 sex ratio. * * = P < 0.01 , 

 1 df; * = P< 0.05, 1 df. 



6 Office of Conservation, Management, Marketing and Recrea- 

 tional Fisheries, S.C. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department. 

 1982. South Carolina Saltwater Sport Fishing Tournaments and 

 State Record Fish. S.C. Wildlife and Marine Resources Depart- 

 ment, P.O. Box 12559, Charleston, SC 29412. 



731 



