Equivalent whole-body concentrations of 11-ketotestosterone in female and male coral goby (Gobiodon erythrospilus), a bi-directional sex-changing fish

Abstract

The relationship between whole-body concentrations of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and sexual function was examined in the coral goby Gobiodon erythrospilus, a bi-directional sex-changing fish. 11-KT occurred in both female and male G. erythrospilus, but levels were not always higher in males than in females within heterosexual pairs, and were not related to the stage of gonadal development of individual fish. These results suggest that comparable 11-KT levels in both sexes may allow serial adult sex change to take place in bi-directional sex-changing species, such as Gobiodon spp.