Home ranges of female cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (Labridae), as determined by ultrasonic telemetry

Abstract

A fixed hydrophone array tracking system was used to study the use of space by sexually mature female cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum, 1792). Ultrasonic transmitters attached externally through the dorsal musculature of eight females ranging in length from 194 to 250 mm provided 107 days of tracking data. Home-range areas varied from 300 to 2353 m2. Females utilized space disproportionately within their home-range boundaries, spending 60% of the time in 24–32% of their home-range area. Home ranges were significantly larger in the afternoon than in the morning and exhibited significant seasonal variation in size. Home-range size was not influenced by the state of the tide, and percent cloud cover and seawater temperature, individually, accounted for < 3.3% of the variance in home-range sizes. Changing energy requirements associated with spawning and overwintering torpor appeared to play a more important role than reproductive behaviour per se in determining home-range size.