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<p>The sea cucumber <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> is an important commercial species in Asia. Nevertheless, key aspects of the reproductive biology of <i>A. japonicus</i> remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a 4-year field experiment to investigate the age and size at sexual maturity in <i>A. japonicus</i>. The results showed that <i>A. japonicus</i> reached sexual maturity at 3&#xa0;years of age, at which 69.6% of females and 63.6% of males were mature. <i>A. japonicus</i> exhibited a size at sexual maturity of 81.71&#xa0;g for females and 83.94&#xa0;g for males. Sexual maturity was determined by body energy reserves, with a threshold of 105.49&#xa0;kJ for females and 109.78&#xa0;kJ for males. We divided the 3-year-old <i>A. japonicus</i> into three groups, including non-reproductive group (NR), reproductive female group (RF), and reproductive male group (RM). The NR group exhibited significantly higher hexokinase and pyruvate kinase activities than the RF and RM groups. Metabolomic analysis revealed that pyridoxine 5′-phosphate was the most important differential metabolite among the NR, RF, and RM groups. Integrated enzymological and metabolomic analyses further demonstrate that juvenile <i>A. japonicus</i> require elevated metabolic activity to achieve the body reserves threshold necessary for reproduction. Our study provides new insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying sexual maturity in <i>A. japonicus</i> and offers data for broodstock rearing.</p>

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Determining the age and size at sexual maturity in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月11日

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  • Siyi Yan,
  • Zhaoyang Ma,
  • Xiangyue Li,
  • Xianjie Sui,
  • Beini Deng,
  • Jiaze Wang,
  • Libin Zhang,
  • Xiaoshang Ru

摘要

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an important commercial species in Asia. Nevertheless, key aspects of the reproductive biology of A. japonicus remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a 4-year field experiment to investigate the age and size at sexual maturity in A. japonicus. The results showed that A. japonicus reached sexual maturity at 3 years of age, at which 69.6% of females and 63.6% of males were mature. A. japonicus exhibited a size at sexual maturity of 81.71 g for females and 83.94 g for males. Sexual maturity was determined by body energy reserves, with a threshold of 105.49 kJ for females and 109.78 kJ for males. We divided the 3-year-old A. japonicus into three groups, including non-reproductive group (NR), reproductive female group (RF), and reproductive male group (RM). The NR group exhibited significantly higher hexokinase and pyruvate kinase activities than the RF and RM groups. Metabolomic analysis revealed that pyridoxine 5′-phosphate was the most important differential metabolite among the NR, RF, and RM groups. Integrated enzymological and metabolomic analyses further demonstrate that juvenile A. japonicus require elevated metabolic activity to achieve the body reserves threshold necessary for reproduction. Our study provides new insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying sexual maturity in A. japonicus and offers data for broodstock rearing.