Publication Date:
2021-08-17
Description:
Parental care is a rather common reproductive strategy in fishes, particularly in species with low fecundity and large eggs as
the Antarctic icefish (Channichthyidae). The infrequent use of underwater devices to record fish behaviour and the logistic
limitations of operating in the Antarctic marine environment have prevented, so far, the collection of data about rare species.
Integrating results from benthic trawling and underwater photographic images, we provide the first demographic and
reproductive behavioural data for the channichthyid Neopagetopsis ionah, describing the nesting and parental care behaviour
of a spawning population in the south-eastern Weddell Sea. The population sampled by the Agassiz trawl was dominated by
females, and consisted of several post-spawning as well as a few mature females spread over a narrow size range. Based on
otolith reading, the population included two cohorts estimated as four- and five-year-old fish. Following common trade-off
between fecundity and egg size, females of N. ionah spawned few large eggs (733–1810 eggs/female, 4.9–6.5 mm in diameter).
The nesting site was characterized by fine sediments with sparse gravel and the accompanying benthic invertebrate
community showed low densities and was relatively poor. A total of 93 nests were counted along the video transect, most of
them with a single guarding male or left unattended. Fish remains or whole dead specimens were frequently observed in the
proximity of the nest. This observation represents the first record of post-spawning mortality associated with parental care
which has never been documented before in Antarctic fishes.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
,
isiRev
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