Reproduction and egg guarding by Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus: Anarhichidae) and ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus: Zoarcidae) in Newfoundland waters

Abstract

1985. Reproduction and egg guarding by Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus: Anarhichidae) and ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus: Zoarcidae) in Newfoundland waters. Can. J. Zool. 63: 2565 -2568. The reproductive season, the sex that provides parental care, and the relationship of feeding with reproduction are reported for Atlantic wolffish and ocean pout in eastern Newfoundland. Both species move into shallow water in the spring, pair during the summer, and spawn in holes under and between boulders during the autumn. Apparently, male Altantic wolffish provide solitary parental care of the eggs, while in ocean pout females provide this function. Feeding is reduced for females and probably males of both species as the gonads approach maximum size. After pair formation, male ocean pout reduce feeding; male Atlantic wolffish do so to a lesser degree. Male Atlantic wolffish and female ocean pout feed little or not at all while guarding egg masses. KEATS, D. W., G. R. SOUTH et D. H. STEELE. 1985. Reproduction and egg guarding by Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus:Anarhichidae) and ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus: Zoarcidae) in Newfoundland waters. Can. J. Zool. 63: 2565 -2568. On trouvera ici des donnees sur la saison de reproduction, sur le sexe qui fournit les soins parentaux et sur la relation entre I'alimentation et la reproduction chez le loup atlantique et chez la loquette d'Amerique dans l'est de Terre-Neuve. Les deux eseces gagnent les eaux peu profondes au printemps, s'accouplent au cours de I'ete et pondent leurs oeufs dans des trous sous les rochers ou entre les rochers a I'automne. I1 semble que, chez le loup atlantique, ce soient les miles qui donnent les soins aux oeufs, alors que, chez la loquette, ce sont les femelles. La consommation de nourriture diminue chez les femelles et probablement aussi chez les miles des deux especes au moment ou les gonades sont pres d'atteindre leur taille maximale. Apres la formation du couple, le mile de la loquette s'alimente moins; le meme phenomene se produit aussi chez les miles du loup atlantique, mais a un degre moindre. Le mile du loup atlantique et la femelle de la loquette d'Amerique se nourrissent tres peu ou ne mangent pas du tout durant la griode oh ils gardent les masses d'oeufs.[Traduit par le journal]

Some Biological Aspects of Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) in the Northwest Atlantic

“…Albikovskaya(1982) described the distribution and abundance of A. lupus by depth and temperature in the Newfoundland area, and Templeman (1984a) described migra_tions of the species from tagging in the same region. Keats et al (1985) observed reproduction and egg guarding by Atlantic wolffish during scuba-diving in coastal waters (5-15 m deep) of the eastern Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland. Templeman (1984b) discussed the meristic variation in A. lupus from collections in most areas of the Northwest Atlantic (West Greenland to the Scotian Shelf).…”

“…Some eggs had reached their largest size (before clearing) as early as May-June, and it would not be surprising if some individuals spawned before September. Keats et al (1985), by scuba-diving in coastal waters along the eastern Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, found male and female Atlantic wolffish pairing during the summer and spawning in spaces under and between boulders during the autumn. It was common to find pairs in nesting spaces by August, and spawning occurred from late August to October.…”

Laboratory Observations of Reproduction in the Deep-Water Zoarcids Lycodes cortezianus and Lycodapus mandibularis (Teleostei: Zoarcidae)

“…Several authors have further claimed that a low fecundity suggests parental care (Mead et al 1964, Breder andRosen 1966). A handful of direct observations of shallow-water species has confirmed that, in those species (e.g., Zoarces americanus; see also Table 1), burrows or other structures are used for housing the eggs, and these are often guarded (Gosztonyi 1977, Anderson 1984, Keats et al 1985, Silverberg et al 1987, Steimle et al 1999). Viviparity has evolved in some species (i.e., Z. viviparus and Z. elongatus [Koya et al 1995, Ojaveer and Jarv 2003, Tokranov 2005).…”

“…Many of these species have been observed guarding egg masses under rocks or kelp holdfasts (Gosztonyi 1977). In the Atlantic, species such as the ocean pout, Zoarces americanus, come into shallow water to set egg masses under boulders, which are also apparently guarded (Keats et al 1985, Steimle et al 1999. For deep-dwelling species, laboratory observations, such as those included here, are important for gathering additional information regarding the role of burrows because direct observation in the wild is difficult and opportunistic at best.…”

Spring feeding of Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) on Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts

“…a directed fishery for Atlantic wolffish; it is thought that they are typically solitary fish or, at most, paired during the spawning season (Scott and Scott, 1988;Le Francois et al, 2010), and it has been challenging to obtain large sample sizes for thorough biological analyses. To confound matters, these demersal fishes are often associated with complex habitat, such as rocky burrows and crevices (Keats et al, 1985), making them difficult to survey with trawl gear.…”