Spawning behaviour and male mating success of Pike Gudgeon, Pseudogobio esocinus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), in an experimental tank

Abstract

The spawning behaviour of Pseudogobio esocinus was examined in an experimental water tank. Spawning was observed on 66 occasions in five experiments, and one female repeatedly spawned 7–18 times during one night. Four easily distinguishable behavioural phases were recognised during the spawning sequence: phase 1, male nuzzling to the female’s body or face; phase 2, male pursuing a swimming female; phase 3, pair or trio trembling while swimming; and phase 4, spawning (scattering eggs and sperm) near the water surface. The spawning behaviour mainly occurred between pairs (53 times) and occasionally among a trio (13 times). A generalised linear mixed model was used to analyse the relationships between male spawning success and four fixed variables. As a result, more aggressive and larger males tended to be successful spawners. A digital video image of P. esocinus spawning behaviour is available at http://www.momo-p.com/index.php?movieid=momo150129pe01b .