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Growth Performance, Digestive Capacity, and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Hybrid Offspring of Mastacembelus armatus × Mastacembelus favus
by
and
Yiman Chen
1, 
Linan Zhang
1,
Xianshan Lin
1,
Hao Sheng
1,
Weikai Chen
1,
Mingxiang Cui
2,
Chong Han
1,* and
Hu Shu
1,* 1
School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
2
Guangdong Lianyi Aquatic Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., Kaiping 529300, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2026, 16(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16010011
Submission received: 18 November 2025
/
Revised: 10 December 2025
/
Accepted: 18 December 2025
/
Published: 19 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Aquatic Animals)
Simple Summary
This study successfully created hybrid offspring by crossing two different spiny eel species: Mastacembelus armatus and Mastacembelus favus. The results showed that these hybrid eels grew faster, survived better, and had more efficient digestion compared to the purebred offspring of either parent species. We found that the superior performance of the hybrids was linked to changes in the activity of many genes in their livers. These gene changes were mainly concentrated in pathways related to growth promotion, nutrient metabolism, and environmental adaptation. This research confirms that crossbreeding these two eel species is an effective strategy to improve production traits, providing a valuable basis for breeding better varieties.
Abstract
Hybrid breeding is a crucial approach in aquaculture for improving stock performance. This study systematically evaluated heterosis in hybrid offspring from a cross between the zig-zag eel (Mastacembelus armatus) and the tire track eel (Mastacembelus favus). The hybrids exhibited significantly superior growth performance and a higher survival rate than both parental populations. Physiological analyses revealed distinct advantages in digestive enzyme activity and intestinal tissue structure. Liver transcriptome sequencing revealed that most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hybrids displayed non-additive expression patterns and were significantly enriched in pathways associated with growth hormone synthesis, insulin secretion and lipid metabolism. The upregulation of igf2 and the downregulation of socs1 were identified as key molecular drivers of enhanced growth. This multi-level analysis, spanning from phenotype to molecular mechanisms, sheds light on the heterogeneous basis of these hybrids and provides theoretical insights and practical guidance for breeding work with zig-zag eels and related species.
