Abstract
A comparison of the growth, hematological values, fatty acids, and gonadal and growth hormonal changes of river puffer, Takifugu obscurus, tiger puffer, T. rubripes, their hybrids (river puffer × tiger puffer) and hybrid triploids was performed during 3 months of their early growth period. Several features were observed during these 3 months: hybrids showed the highest levels of specific growth rate, 1.48%; hybrid triploids showed the smallest change in viscera fat (P<0.05), but GSI was not significantly different among groups (P>0.05). Considering hematological parameters, hybrid triploids had increased mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P<0.05), but other parameters were not significantly different between groups (P>0.05). With respect to fatty acids, puffer fish, hybrids and hybrid triploids contained fatty acids such as SFAs, MUFAs, n-3 PUFAs and n-6 PUFAs. There were significantly different amounts of total fatty acids between groups (P<0.05), however, rates of changes in fatty acids did not differ significantly between groups (P>0.05). Gonadal hormone (estradiol and testosterone) changes in the river puffer and tiger puffer were significantly higher than that observed in hybrids and hybrid triploids. The hybrids and tiger puffers had higher amounts of growth hormone (thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroxine) than the hybrid triploids and river puffers (P<0.05).