Reproductive biology of Chinese minnow Hemiculterella sauvagei Warpachowski, 1888 in the Chishui River, China

Abstract

SummaryThis study describes the reproductive biology of the Chinese minnow Hemiculterella sauvagei. The length-weight relationship, sex ratio, spawning season, size at first maturity, and fecundity were analyzed based on 685 specimens collected from the Chishui River between July 2011 and July 2012. The relationship between standard length (SL) and body weight (BW) were estimated as BW = 2.14 9 10 À4 9 SL 2.801(R 2 = 0.839; N = 413; P < 0.05) for females and BW = 1.31 9 10 À4 9 SL 3.001 (R 2 = 0.868; N = 272; P < 0.05) for males. The female to male sex ratio, 1.52 : 1, differed significantly from a 1 : 1 ratio. Females predominated in standard lengths >12 cm. Analyses of the monthly variation in the gonadosomatic index (GSI), the monthly proportions of macroscopic gonadal maturity, and the size distribution of oocytes consistently suggested a prolonged spawning season of H. sauvagei from March to August, with a peak from April to May. Logistic curves describing the relationship between proportion of maturity (P r ) at each length interval and standard length were estimated as P r = 1/(1 + e 26.867-0.306SL ) (R 2 = 0.999; N = 413; P < 0.05) for females and P r = 1/ (1 + e 10.522-0.142SL ) (R 2 = 0.999; N = 272; P < 0.05) for males. Size at first maturity was estimated as 7.4 cm for males and 8.8 cm SL for females. Absolute fecundity varied from 563 to 5052, with a mean of 2413 AE 874 oocytes per ovary. The relative fecundity was estimated to be 41-299, with a mean of 171 AE 55 oocytes per ovary. The present study provides useful information for fishery management and resources conservation.

Batch spawning in five species of minnows (Cyprinidae) from Ontario, Canada

“…Batch spawning is reported frequently in the Cyprinidae and from locations as disparate as Spain (Herrera and Fernandez-Delgrado 1994), Iraq (Al Saleh et al 2012), and Malaysia (Abiden 1986). Conven tional spawning is also occasionally reported (e.g., Wang et al 2014). This study adds five species to the six cyprinid species already documented as batch spawners in Ontario.…”

“…Conventional, one-batch spawners should show only mature eggs amid a mass of very small "recruitment" eggs (Conover 1985;Powles et al 1992) to be spawned the following year. This approach has been used previously, including with cyprinids (Heins and Rabito 1986;Powles et al 1992;Heins and Baker 1993;Wang et al 2014); as Heins and Baker (1993: 15) state, two separate groups of developing eggs is "a profile typical of fish that produce multiple clutches".…”