Correlation of sexual behaviour and ovarian processes in the paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis

Changes in ovarian development were described during successive phases of reproductive behaviour defined from an ethological approach in paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis. We found this perannial breeder fish to show typical induced ovulation pattern and during the synchronization process each behavioural phase (or maintenance condition) can be characterized by a dominant cell type. Our preliminary results suggest, that M. opercularis is an excellant model animal for quantitative studies of the effects of behavioural and endocrine factors in reproductive synchronization.