Non-lethal sex identification of sea urchins: Method and advantages (2020)

Paredes, E., Costas, D.

Abstract

A simple method for sex determination can reduce the number of sea urchins used in the lab and help to optimize experimental design. Our new methodology developed with Paracentrotus lividus is simple and inexpensive, requiring only a syringe and a needle. Sex determination can be performed quickly upon collection, and the method allows the differentiation of regular sea urchins by sex in a non-lethal way and without triggering spawning. A syringe is used to extract gametes from the gonads through a non-lethal puncture in the interambulacral plate; by examining the color of the extracted liquid, the sex of the animal can be easily determined.