Reproductive behavior of ninespine sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius (L.)) in South Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Abstract

The reproductive behavior of aquarium-held and free-living ninespine sticklebacks was studied at South Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario. In general their behavior resembles that of the Northwestern European Pungitius, which has been described in the literature, but several differences were discovered. The European form breeds in quiet, weedy streams, whereas the South Bay form breeds in rocky, barren, often turbulent lakeshores. The breeding males of the South Bay form have a black ventral patch that has not been described for the European form. Like Gasterosteus, the South Bay form nests on the substrate, unlike the European form, which nests in weeds. Differences in the details of nest building, agonistic, courtship, and parental behavior have been discussed in terms of adaptations to specific breeding habitats.