Reproductive Ecology of Slimy Sculpin in Small New Brunswick Streams

Abstract

AbstractThe male slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus guards a nest rock and provides parental care for the offspring of one or more females, which deposit all their eggs into the male's nest. The purpose of our research was to determine the timing of nest acquisition, spawning, and hatching and to describe biological (number of eggs) and physical characteristics of the nest. In total, we monitored 77 nests during the 2004 spawning period (April‐June). Females' egg masses contained an average of 106 eggs. Males guarded an average of 239 eggs; most guarded two or three females' egg masses. Most males (60%) began guarding nests in early May, about a week before egg deposition, and left the nest by the end of June. Males tended to use cobble in shallow water as nests. These findings suggest that slimy sculpin may be sensitive to changes in natural flow conditions during their reproductive period.