ABSTRACT
Teleost gonad morphology, at the anatomical, histological and fine structural levels, has long been studied with the aim of identifying annual reproductive cycles, the length of breeding seasons, the onset of reproductive maturity, spawning rhythms, fecundity and various other aspects of reproductive biology, or to be used in phylogenetic systematic analyses. Consequently some of the relationships between the reproductive modalities of the species and the morphology of the reproductive apparatus, such as the type of sexual pattern or the fecundity, have been widely investigated not only in gobies but in teleosts in general. However, in spite of the interest that sexual selection has received in recent decades, its in uence on the development and performance of primary sexual traits still remains poorly known in sh. Gobiid shes, with their variability in life-cycle duration, mating system and sperm competition occurrence, provide excellent models to understand the in uence of sexual selection pressures in shaping reproductive apparatus and gamete performance. For this reason this chapter will outline the morphology of the goby reproductive apparatus highlighting the in uence of sexual selection on its variability, omitting discussion of the aspects related to sex differentiation and endocrinology, but will include some notes on pheromone production, and seasonal variation.
