Breeding ecology and nest aggregations in a population of Salaria pavo (Pisces: Blenniidae) in an area where nest sites are very scarce

Abstract

In this paper we present data on the breeding ecology and patterns of nest aggregation in a population ofSalaria pavo (Pisces: Blenniidae), in an area where hard substrates are very scarce. The study site was at Ria Formosa, an extensive littoral lagoon on the south coast of Portugal. The only hard materials available are bricks, tiles, stones and debris that clam culturists use to delimit their fields. The males of S. pavo establish nests intertidally in the holes of the bricks where they guard the eggs. Data were collected at low tide inspections of these artificial ridges and underwater behavioural observations during high tide. The main results are: (i) the same male can establish sequentially more than one nest in the same breeding season; the number of males that stay within the bricks increases before the start of the breeding season and declines towards its end; (ii) there is a large excess of mature males that do not establish nests and they are significantly smaller than the nesting males, suggesting very strong competition for nest sites; (iii) the nests of several males occur in adjacent holes of the same brick, sometimes being entirely surrounded by other nests. Thus, in this population, there is virtually no defended territory around the nest, a situation not known for other blenniid species. This pattern of nest aggregation implies both strong competition among males and reduction of aggression between neighbour parental fishes. This can be explained by the extreme scarcity and spatial distribution of available nest sites.