Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
Triploid (n=71) and tetraploid (n=1) ginbuna Carassius langsdorfii were collected from the Kami-dokanbori moat in the Imperial Palace in the spring, 1997. The eggs of mature triploid (n=3) and tetraploid(n=1) individuals were inseminated by the milt of goldfish C. auratus in 1998, so as to examine ploidy status, sex, and genotypes of the resultant progeny. Flow cytometry for DNA content of somatic cell nuclei showed triploidy of the progeny of the triploid females and tetraploidy of the progeny of the tetraploid female. Histological observation of the gonads revealed that all the progeny examined were female. All the progeny of the triploid female examined exhibited the DNA fingerprint identical to that of the mother. Identical DNA fingerprint was also detected between the tetraploid mother and its progeny. These results conclude that the triploid and the tetraploid ginbuna in the Imperial Palace produce unreduced triploid and tetraploid eggs, respectively, and these triploid and tetraploid ginbuna reproduce gynogenetically as unisexual clones.