Reproduction in five species of crinoids at Lizard Island,Great Barrier Reef

Reproduction in five species of crinoids [Himerometra bartschi (A. H. Clark), H. robustipinna (P. H. Carpenter), Cenometra bella (Hartlaub), Colobometra perspinosa (P. H. Carpenter), and Oligometra serripinna (P. H. Carpenter)] was studied at Lizard Island, Queensland, over 24 mo, from April 1981 to March 1983 (except for O. serripinna —June 1981 to March 1983). All five species of crinoids were dioecious, although a few instances of synchronous hermaphroditism were noted in H. bartschi, C. perspinosa, and O. serripinna. Gonad morphology and the sequence of developmental stages were similar in each species. Within individuals, gametogenesis was synchronous in gonads both along and between arms, except in some proximal and distal genital pinnules in which gonads never matured. Within a species, there was a degree of synchrony of gametogenesis in a sample, but the level of gametogenic activity varied considerably between years. A high level of continuous reproductive activity was observed in H. bartschi, H. robustipinna, Cenometra bella, and Colobometra perspinosa from about mid-summer to early/mid-winter, while O. serripinna probably had a bimodal reproductive cycle with peaks around February and June. There was a significant 1:1 male:female sex ratio in the populations sampled, and unsexable individuals were significantly smaller (as determined by maximum arm length) than either sexable males or females.