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Breeding season, spawning time, and description of spawning behaviour in the Japanese ornate dragonet, Callionymus ornatipinnis: a preliminary field study at the northern limit of its range

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Abstract

The reproductive behaviour of the Japanese ornate dragonet (Callionymus ornatipinnis) was studied at the northernmost limit of its distribution at Usujiri in southern Hokkaido, Japan. Field observations confirmed that C. ornatipinnis reproduced at Usujiri, and this is the first detailed description of the reproductive behaviour of C. ornatipinnis. Males were observed to swim continuously in a sandy area where females were abundant, persistently approaching females and performing courtship displays. Courtship behaviour consisted of males spreading their fins in front of females. If a female accepted a male for spawning, the pair would then ascend upward 0.7–1.2 m from the sandy bottom and release their pelagic eggs. Spawning, which occurred daily at dusk for approximately 1 h and ceased when it became dark, was related to water temperature and was only observed when water temperature exceeded 19°C. The breeding season of this species at Usujiri spanned only the month of September, which is considerably shorter than that of other dragonet species inhabiting temperate waters. The short breeding season was probably attributed to the fact that the water temperature at Usujiri only exceeds 19°C in the month of September.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Yoichi Sakai and two anonymous referees for their comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. This work was funded by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research to HM from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. SA and MRK were funded by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists.

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  1. Satoshi Awata

    Present address: Freshwater Fisheries Research Division, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research Agency, 1088 Komaki, Ueda, 386-0031, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Usujiri Fisheries Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, 152 Usujiri, Hakodate, 041-1613, Japan

    Satoshi Awata & Hiroyuki Munehara

  2. Division of Biosphere Science, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Motoko R. Kimura, Noriyosi Sato & Keita Sakai

  3. Shizugawa Nature Center, 40 Sakamoto, Minamisanriku, Togura, Motoyoshi, Miyagi, 986-0781, Japan

    Takuzo Abe

Authors
  1. Satoshi Awata
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  2. Motoko R. Kimura
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Correspondence to Satoshi Awata.

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Awata, S., Kimura, M.R., Sato, N. et al. Breeding season, spawning time, and description of spawning behaviour in the Japanese ornate dragonet, Callionymus ornatipinnis: a preliminary field study at the northern limit of its range. Ichthyol Res 57, 16–23 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-009-0116-z

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