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Comparative Analysis of Embryonic Development and Mitochondrial Genome of a New Intergeneric Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fasciatus ♀ × Plectropomus leopardus ♂)
by
, ,
Xinlu Jiao
1,2,3,4,
Tangtang Ding
1,2,
Yongsheng Tian
2,3,4,
Yongjun Guo
1,
Yimeng Wang
1,2,
Shihao Wang
2,
Chunbai Zhang
2,
Fengfan Yang
2,
Linna Wang
2,3,4
,
Zhentong Li
2,3,4,
Linlin Li
2,3,4,
Yidan Xu
2,3,4 and
Yang Liu
2,3,4,*
1
Aquaculture Department, Fisheries College, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300392, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
3
Key Laboratory for Sustainable Development of Marine Fisheries, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Qingdao 266071, China
4
Hainan Innovation Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Sanya 572025, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2025, 15(23), 3445; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15233445 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 10 October 2025
/
Revised: 19 November 2025
/
Accepted: 27 November 2025
/
Published: 28 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research on Functional Genes and Economic Traits in Fish)
Simple Summary
First construction of intergeneric hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fasciatus ♀ × Plectropomus leopardus ♂).
Abstract
To develop superior grouper aquaculture varieties, in this study, a intergeneric hybrid breed was constructed by crossing a male Plectropomus leopardus, with a female parent Epinephelus fasciatus. Here, we researched embryonic development and mitochondrial composition of the new hybrid germplasm. Results revealed that the fertilization and hatching rate were 85.87 ± 5.22% and 70.37 ± 0.33%, respectively. Hatching occurred 28 h 55 min after fertilization at 24.8 ± 0.5 °C, and the newly hatched larvae were 2.05 ± 0.37 mm in total length. The mitochondrial genome length of the hybrid was 16,570 bp, preserving 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The mitochondrial gene composition and arrangement of the hybrid were very similar to those of the maternal E. fasciatus. Additionally, analyses including co-linearity, Ka/Ks ratio, and phylogenetic tree all demonstrated that the hybrid’s mitochondria are inherited from the mother. Furthermore, the genetic distance between the hybrid and species from the maternal genus is shorter than that between the hybrid and the paternal P. leopardus. This study provides detailed insights into the embryonic development and mitochondrial inheritance of an intergeneric hybrid grouper, offering valuable molecular biological evidence to support grouper hybrid breeding, germplasm identification, and the conservation of genetic diversity.
