The Fecundity and Reproductive Season of Fundulus sciadicus in Nebraska (Actinopterygii: Fundulidae)

Authors

Todd A. Kinney, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
John D. Lynch, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Date of this Version

1991

Comments

1991. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, XVIII: 101-104. Copyright © 1991 Kinney and Lynch

Abstract

The reproductive season of Fundulus sciadicus in Nebraska was investigated using preserved materials. Ovarian eggs matured in late March or early April. By mid-July all adult females were spent. Females with enlarged eggs were in their second, third, and fourth seasons of life. Eggs were classified on the basis of their morphology and the presence or absence of oil droplets and yolk. "Mature" eggs ranged in size from 1.6 to 2.0 mm in diameter. The largest ovarian complement (mature eggs only) was 88. Evidence of reabsorption (large eggs that have collapsed and have only small amounts of yolk) was seen in fish collected in June, July, and August, and suggests that clutch size is smaller than the ovarian complement in this species.