Reproductive biology of Hybopsis amblops, the Bigeye Chub, in the Flint River of Alabama
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science, Ecology, Freshwater Biology
- Keywords
- GSI, Cyprinidae, oocytes, clutch size, life history, fecundity, freshwater
- Copyright
- © 2018 Tarver et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2018. Reproductive biology of Hybopsis amblops, the Bigeye Chub, in the Flint River of Alabama. PeerJ Preprints 6:e26719v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.26719v1
Abstract
Background. The purpose of this study was to establish a reproductive schedule and examine reproductive traits that shape fecundity of the Bigeye Chub, Hybopsis amblops Cyprinidae, in the Flint River system of north Alabama.
Methods. Life history traits associated with reproduction, growth, and maturation were assessed. Fish collections were made monthly from August, 2013, through July, 2014.
Results. The Bigeye Chub in Alabama primarily spawns in April and May as indicated by gonadosomatic index (GSI), ovarian condition and clutch size. Average GSI values began to rise in February, peaked in April and May at over 13% for females and 1.6% for males, and showed a steep decline from May to June for both sexes. Average clutch size was highest in April at 812. Diameter of the most mature oocyte stage averaged 0.74 mm, relatively small compared to other cyprinids found in the Flint River.
Discussion. The Bigeye Chub’s relatively large clutch size as a measure of fecundity places the species intermediate between opportunistic and periodic in the trilateral life history scheme of Winemiller and Rose. The species is apparently responding to a flow regime with a defined seasonality as well as predictability of flow and resources.
Author Comment
This is a submission to PeerJ for review.