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Comparative survivorship and life history of painted greenling (Oxylebius pictus) in Puget Sound, Washington and Monterey Bay, California

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Synopsis

The painted greenling, Oxylebius pictus, a hexagrammid fish of shallow, northeastern Pacific rocky habitats was observed and collected near the center of its range at Monterey Bay, California, and near the northern limit of its distribution at Puget Sound.

Life history characteristics were compared for breeding stocks from the two areas. Mean and maximum adult body sizes (lengths and wet weights) and longevities of both sexes are greater at Puget Sound. Also, both males and females reach sexual maturity at a smaller body length at Monterey. Age group 0 and I juveniles are twice as abundant as adults at Monterey but rare at Puget Sound. Monterey females have greater relative fecundities. Egg development rates are similar at equivalent temperatures; eggs are smaller, however, at Monterey, and thus embryos are smaller at hatching. Length increase is faster for Puget Sound juveniles; adult fish in the two areas grow in length at comparable rates, although weight per body length is consistently greater for Monterey fish.

These findings reflect a poorer survivorship at Monterey, where natural predation on fertilized eggs and the mortality rates of adult males are greater.

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Author notes

  1. Edward E. DeMartini

    Present address: Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Marine Review Committee Research Center, 533 Stevens Avenue, Solana Beach, California, 92075, USA

  2. M. Eric Anderson

    Present address: Department of Ichthyology, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia, 23062, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Edward E. DeMartini

  2. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, California, USA

    M. Eric Anderson

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  1. Edward E. DeMartini
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  2. M. Eric Anderson
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DeMartini, E.E., Anderson, M.E. Comparative survivorship and life history of painted greenling (Oxylebius pictus) in Puget Sound, Washington and Monterey Bay, California. Environ Biol Fish 5, 33–47 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000948

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