| PHYLUM:
Chordata; CLASS: Osteichthyes; SUPERORDER: Teleostei
Family: Gasterosteidae
GENUS: Pungitius SPECIES: pungitius DESCRIBER:
(Linnaeus)
Position
of Pungitius
pungitius in
worldwide arrangement of fish species.
What are NINE-SPINE
STICKLEBACKS?
Nine-spine Sticklebacks
are small, laterally compressed, 50 - 80 cm (2 - 3
in) in length, minnow-like fish of the family Gasterosteidae.
Their backs and sides are pale green, grey or olive
with numerous dark vertical bars or blotches along
their sides; their bellies are silvery. They have well-developed
keels between their anal fins and caudal fins on each
side. They are distributed in freshwater and estuarine
waters from British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia.
Nine-spine Sticklebacks eat numerous aquatic insect
larvae and nymphs, various aquatic crustacea and some
adult insects.
EARLY
LIFE HISTORY of the NINE-SPINE
STICKLEBACK:
Spawning Season of Adult NINE-SPINE STICKLEBACK: Late spring, early June to mid-July.
Where NINE-SPINE STICKLEBACK Eggs are Found: Males
of NINE-SPINE STICKLEBACKS construct nests of
aquatic plants, grass and/or algae in shallow waters
of streams, ponds and warm, shallow bays of large
lakes. These fibers are held together with a secretion
from their kidneys. They are constructed above the
bottom attached to aquatic plants or even between
or under rocks. Females enter the tubular or round
nests with openings at both ends and deposit ca.
20-30 eggs. Males fertilize the eggs and care for
them by fanning and defending them from predators.
Characteristics
of Eggs: Demersal, adhesive, colorless to straw colored,
oil globules 12 or more, moderately sized. Diameter of
eggs is 1.5 mm to 1.9 mm.
Size
of Babies at Hatching: 5 mm to 6 mm at 5 days of incubation.
Movements of NINE-SPINE STICKLEBACK Babies after
hatching: Baby NINE-SPINE STICKLEBACKS hatch
from their nests and swim around in lakes, rivers
and ponds in shallow water in small numbers, not
in schools.
|
