Abstract
Reproduction of the labrid Thalassoma duperrey was studied for the population in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, from 1978 to 1981. Field observations of female reproductive behavior and histological study of the ovaries revealed annual, semilunar, and diel cycles. The percentage of females with ripe ova was greatest in winter and least in summer; moreover, the percentage of females spawning each day in summer was low in comparison to the rest of the year. A semilunar cycle was superimposed on the annual cycle, since the percentage of ripe, spawning females was greatest at new and full moons and least during the first and third quarters. On a daily basis, the percentage of ripe, spawning females was greatest during daytime high tide. The reproductive strategies of this and other species of shallow-water labrids are interpreted as evolutionary responses to both predation pressure and the need for short-range, within-habitat dispersal. A winter reproductive peak probably reduces the loss of pelagic larvae from the reef habitat due to weak oceanic currents. A semilunar reproductive peak on new and full moons probably maximizes short-range, within-habitat dispersal due to strong tidal currents. Spawning on the high tide should maximize the distance between newly spawned eggs and reef planktivores and may be the most effective anti-predator tactic available to daytime broadcast spawners.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Barlow, G. W.: Patterns of parental investment, dispersal, and size among coral-reef fishes. Envir. Biol. Fish. 6, 65–86 (1981). (The Hague: W. Junk)
Clark, F. N.: The life history of Leuresthes tenuis, an atherine fish with tide controlled spawning habits. Fish Bull. Calif. 10, 1–51 (1925)
Colin, P. L.: Daily and summer-winter variation in mass spawning of the striped parrotfish, Scarus croicensis. Fish. Bull. U.S. 76, 117–124 (1978)
Fishelson, L.: Ecology and physiology of sex reversal in Anthias squamipinnis (Peters), (Teleostei: Anthiidae). In: Intersexuality in the animal kingdom, pp 284–294. Ed. by R. Reinboth. New York: Springer-Verlag 1975
Humason, G. L.: Animal tissue techniques, 4th ed. 661 pp. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman 1979
Johannes, R. E.: Reproductive strategies of coastal marine fishes in the tropics. Envir. Biol. Fish. 3, 65–84 (1978). (The Hague: W. Junk)
Jones, G. P.: Growth and reproduction in the protogynous hermaphrodite Pseudolabrus celidotus (Pisces: Labridae) in New Zealand. Copeia 1980, 660–675 (1980)
Kuwamura, T.: Diurnal periodicity of spawning activity in freespawning labrid fishes. Jap. J. Ichthyol. 28, 343–348 (1981)
Lobel, P. S.: Diel, lunar, and seasonal periodicity in the reproductive behavior of the pomacanthid fish, Centropyge potteri, and some other reef fishes. Pacif. Sci. 32, 193–207 (1978)
MacDonald, C. D.: Reproductive strategies and social organization in damselfishes, 226 pp. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 1981
Munro, J. L., V. C. Gaut, R. Thompson and P. H. Reeson: The spawning season of Caribbean reef fishes. J. Fish Biol. 5, 69–84 (1973)
Noda, E. K., P. K. Bienfang, W. J. Kimmerer and T. W. Walsh: Final report: OTEC environmental benchmark survey, Kahe Point, May 1980–May 1981, 508 pp. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii 1981. (Tech. Rep. Look Lab., No. 50)
Pressley, P. H.: Lunar periodicity in the spawning of yellowtail damselfish, Microspathodon chrysurus. Envir. Biol. Fish. 5, 153–159 (1980). (The Hague: W. Junk)
Ralston, S.: Aspects of the reproductive biology and feeding ecology of Chaetodon miliaris, a Hawaiian endemic butterflyfish. Envir. Biol. Fish. 6, 167–176 (1981). (The Hague: W. Junk)
Robertson, D. R. and S. G. Hoffman: The roles of female choice and predation in the mating systems of some tropical labroid fishes. Z. Tierpsychol 45, 298–320 (1977)
Ross, R. M.: Reproductive behavior of the anemonefish Amphiprion melanopus on Guam. Copeia 1978, 103–107 (1978)
Ross, R. M.: Experimental evidence for stimulation and inhibition of sex change in the Hawaiian reef fish Thalassoma duperrey. Proc. 4th int. Symp. coral Reefs. (In press). (Ed. by E. Gomez. Manila: University of the Philippines)
Sokal, R. R. and F. J. Rohlf: Biometry. The principles and practice of statistics in biological research, 776 pp. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Co. 1969
Taylor, M. H. and L. DiMichele: Ovarian changes during the lunar spawning cycle of Fundulus heteroclitus. Copeia 1980 118–125 (1980)
Thresher, R. E. and A. M. Gronnell: Subcutaneous tagging of small reef fishes. Copeia 1978, 352–353 (1978)
Tribble, G. W.: Social organization, patterns of sexuality, and behavior of the wrasse Coris dorsomaculata at Miyake-jima, Japan. Envir. Biol. Fish. 7, 29–38 (1982). (The Hague: W. Junk)
U.S. Department of Commerce: Tide tables: high and low water predictions 1978–1981: central and western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1537 pp Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office 1978-1981
Wallace, R. A. and K. Selman: Cellular and dynamic aspects of oocyte growth in teleosts. Am. Zool. 21, 325–343 (1981)
Warner, R. R.: Mating systems, sex change, and sexual demography in the rainbow wrasse, Thalassoma lucasanum. Copeia 1982, 653–661 (1982)
Wyrtki, K.: Sea level and the seasonal fluctuations of the equatorial currents in the western Pacific Ocean. J. phys. Oceanogr. 4, 372–380 (1974)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by N. D. Holland, La Jolla
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ross, R.M. Annual, semilunar, and diel reproductive rhythms in the Hawaiian labrid Thalassoma duperrey . Marine Biology 72, 311–318 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396837
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396837