Spawning and egg-tending behavior of the barred-chin blenny Rhabdoblennius ellipes
2006
Miyano, T.(Nagasaki Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Fisheries) | Takegaki, T. | Natsukari, Y.
Spawning and egg-tending behavior of the barred-chin blenny, Rhabdoblennius ellipes, were studied in tide pools near Koe-harbor, Nagasaki, Japan. Field observation and monthly changes in Gonadosomatic index (GSI) indicated the breeding season of the species to be from late-June to early-October, peaking in August. All males had a burrow in the tide pool, while females did not have their own burrows. When a matured female approached a male's burrow, the male changed the color of his head from brown to blue, and courted her by shaking his head up and down and by moving his pectoral fins at the burrow entrance. Following the male's courtship display, the female entered the burrow and began spawning. Then, the eggs were laid on the inner surface of the burrow. The male outside of the burrow sometimes inserted his body into the burrow and then shook the body. After spawning, the female left the burrow, and the male tended the eggs for 6-7 days until hatching. Spawning occurred almost every day in the study area, and 1,030 eggs were tended by each male per day in average. We observed that a male mates with two different females in a day, showing that the mating system in this species is male-territory-visiting polygamy.
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