High levels of circulating prostaglandin F associated with ovulation stimulate female sexual receptivity and spawning behavior in the goldfish (Carassius auratus).

This study tested the hypothesis that blood-borne prostaglandin F (PGF) produced at the time of ovulation by female goldfish, a typical scramble-spawning, egg-laying cyprinid fish, functions as a hormone which stimulates female sexual receptivity, behavior, and pheromone release, thereby synchronizing female mating behavior with egg availability. We conducted 5 experiments. First, we tested whether PGF is found in the blood of female fish and if it increases at the time of ovulation.