Synopsis
Spawning season, size at first reproduction, oocyte maturation, and fecundity ofAwaous guamensis, an amphidromous Hawaiian goby, were studied from June 1989 through May 1991 in the Wainiha River, Kau'ai, Hawai'i. Female fish larger than 73 mm standard length (SL) had mature gonads from August through December in 1989 and 1990. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) values for mature females ranged from 0.2 to 14.5 during the spawning season. Male fish larger than 64 mm SL had elevated GSI values from June 1989 through December 1989 and from August 1990 through December 1990. Mature sperm were found in two male fish collected in January and February. GSI values for mature males ranged from less than 0.01 to 4.0 in the spawning season. Size-frequency distributions of measurements of vitellogenic oocyte diameters and microscopic observations of oocytes indicated this species has group-synchronous oocyte development. Ovarian maturation stages examined over a 29-month period suggest that members of the stock spawned at different times within the spawning season, although mass spawning events have been documented for this species. Estimates of clutch sizes from nests measured in situ were comparable to estimates of potential fecundity from in vitro examination of ovaries, and indicated that female fish deposited an entire clutch during a spawning event. No evidence for multiple spawning by an individual fish in a single season was found. However, microscopic observations of brown bodies in some ovaries suggested that individual fish probably spawn more than once in a lifetime.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Auty, H., 1978. Reproductive behaviour and early development of the empire fish Hypseleotris compressus (Elcotridae). Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res. 29: 585–597.
Bagenal, T.B. & E. Brawn, 1971. Eggs and early life history. pp. 166–198. In: W.E. Ricker. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Birdsong, R.S., E.O. Murdy & F.L. Peazold, 1988. A study of the vertebral column and median fin osteology in gobioid fishes with comments on gobioid relationships. Bull. Mar. Sci. 42: 174–214.
Daoulas, C.H., A.N. Economou, Th. Psarras & R. Barbieri-Tseliki, 1993. Reproductive strategies and early development of three freshwater gobies. J. Fish Biol. 42: 749–776.
Deacon, J.E., G. Kobetich, J.D. Williams & S. Contreras, 1979. Fishes of North America: endangered, threatened, or of special concern: 1979 Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 4: 29–44.
Dotu, Y. & S. Mito, 1955. Life history of a gobioid fish, Sicydium japonicum Tanaka. Sci. Bull. Fac. Agr. Kyushu Univ. 15: 37957–37967.
Fitzsimons, J.M. & R.T. Nishimoto, 1990. Territories and site tenacity in males of the Hawaiian stream goby Lentipes concolor (Pisces: Gobiidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 1: 185–189.
Fitzsimons, J.M., R.T. Nishimoto & A.R. Yuen, 1993. Courtship and territorial behavior in the native Hawaiian stream goby Sicyopterus stimpsoni. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 4: 1–10.
Fitzsimons, J.M., R.M. Zink & R.T. Nishimoto, 1990. Genetic variation in the Hawaiian stream goby, Lentipes concolor. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 18: 81–83.
Gilmore, R.G. & P.A. Hastings, 1983. Observations on the ecology and distribution of certain tropical peripheral fishes in Florida. Florida Sci. 46: 22–30.
Goto, A., 1990. Alternative life-history styles of Japanese freshwater sculpins revisited. Env. Biol. Fish. 28: 101–112.
Greeley Jr., M.S., D.R. Calder & R.A. Wallace, 1987. Oocyte growth and development in the striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, during seasonal ovarian recrudescence: relationship to fecundity and size at maturity. U.S. Fish. Bull. 85: 187–200.
Guraya, S.S., 1986. The cell and molecular biology of fish oogenesis. Monographs in Developmental Biology, Vol. 18. Karger, New York. 223 pp.
Hoar, W.S., 1957. The gonads and reproduction. pp. 287–321. In: M.E. Brown (ed.) The Physiology of Fishes, Volume I, Metabolism. Acdemic Press, New York.
Humason, G.L., 1979. Animal tissue techniques, 4th edition. W.H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco. 661 pp.
Jordan, D.S. & B.W. Evermann, 1973. The shore fishes of Hawaii. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland. 392 pp.
Khoo, K.H., 1975. The corpus luteum of goldfish (Carassius auratus (L.)) and its function. Can. J. Zool. 53: 1306–1323.
Kido, M.H., P. Ha & R.A. Kinzie III, 1993. Insect introductions and diet changes in an endemic Hawaiian amphidromous goby, Awaous stamineus (Pisces; Gobiidae). Pac. Sci. 47: 43–50.
Kinzie III, R.A., 1988. Habitat utilization by Hawaiian stream fishes with reference to community structure in oceanic island streams. Env. Biol. Fish. 22: 179–192.
Kinzie III, R.A., 1993. Reproductive biology of an endemic, amphidromous goby Lentipes concolor in Hawaiian streams. Env. Biol. Fish. 37: 257–268.
Lugli, M.L., L. Bobbio, P. Torricelli & G. Gandolfi, 1992. Breeding ecology and male spawning success in two hill-stream populations of the freshwater goby, Padagobius martensi. Env. Biol. Fish. 35: 37–48.
Manacop, P.R., 1953 The life history and habits of the goby Sicyopterus extraneus Herre (anga Gobiidae with an account of the goby-fry fishery of Cagayan River, Oriental Misamis. Philippine J. Fisheries 2: 1–55.
Matsuyama, M., S. Adachi, Y. Nagahama, C. Kitajima & S. Matsuura, 1991. Annual reproductive cycle of the captive female Japanese sardine Sardinops melanostictus: relationship to ovarian development and serum levels of gonadal steroid hormones. Mar. Biol. 108: 21–29.
McDowall, R.M., 1965. Studies on the biology of the red-finned bully Gobiomorphus huttoni> (Ogliby) II. - Breeding and life history. Trans. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 5: 177–196.
McDowall, R.M., 1988. Diadromy in fishes. Timber Press, Portland. 308 pp.
Miller, P.J., 1984. The tokology of gobioid fishes. pp. 119–153. In: G.W. Potts & R.J. Wotton (ed.) Fish Reproduction: Strategies and Tactics, Academic Press, London.
Miller, P.J., 1972. Threatened freshwater fishes of the United States. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 101: 239–252.
Myers, G.S., 1949. Usage of anadromous, catadromous and allied terms for migratory fishes. Copeia 1949: 89–97.
Nagahama, Y., 1983. The functional morphology of teleost gonads. pp. 223–273. In: W.S. Hoar & D.J. Randall (ed.) Fish Physiology, Vol. 9A, Reproduction, Endocrine Tissues and Hormones, Acdemic Press New York.
Radtke, R.L., R.A. Kinzie III & S.D. Folsom, 1988. Age at recruitment of Hawaiian freshwater gobies. Env. Biol. Fish. 23: 205–213.
Smith, C.L., 1965. The patterns of sexuality and the classification of serranid fishes. Amer. Mus. Nov 7: 1–20.
Tamura, E. & Y. Honma, 1970. Histological changes in the organs and tissues of gobiid fishes throughout the life span - II: The hypophyseal target organs of the ice-goby, Leucopsarion petersi Hilgendorf. Japan. J. Ichthyol. 17: 29–36.
Tinker, S.W., 1978. Fishes of Hawaii. Hawaiian Service, Honolulu. 532 pp.
Titcomb, M., 1972. Native use of fish in Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 175 pp.
Torricelli, P., M. Lugh & G. Gandolfi, 1985. A quantitative analysis of the fanning activity in the male Padogobius martensi (Pisces: Gobiidae). Behaviour 92: 288–310.
Wallace, R.A. & K. Selman, 1981. Cellular and dynamic aspects of oocyte growth in teleosts. Amer. Zool. 21: 325–343.
Watson, R.E., 1992. A review of the gobiid fish genus Awaous from insular streams of the Pacific Plate. Ichtyol. Explor. Freshwaters 3: 161–176.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ha, P.Y., Kinzie, R.A. Reproductive biology ofAwaous guamensis, an amphidromous Hawaiian goby. Environ Biol Fish 45, 383–396 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002531
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002531