Physical activity and behavior of a centrarchid fish, Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède), during spawning

Abstract – The spawning behavior of male and female largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède) was studied in central Illinois during the spring of 1998 to examine patterns of muscular activity associated with different spawning related behaviors and to evaluate whether electromyogram (EMG i ) telemetry could be used to detect spawning activity. Fish were implanted with EMG i transmitters (8 females, 16 males) on April 7, prior to the initiation of spawning, and were released in four 0.10-ha earthen research ponds. Continuous EMG i records, underwater videography and additional visual observations for one pair of EMG i tagged fish were collected throughout the entire spawning event, allowing us to quantify behavioral correlates of physical activity. Male EMG i activity patterns were only correlated with female patterns during courting and periods of male aggression toward the female. Overall, EMG i activity was highest for the female during shuddering (gamete deposition), whereas male EMG i activity was similarly high during periods of nest excavation, shuddering and post-spawn parental care activities. During spawning, female EMG i activity was positively correlated to shuddering. Average daily EMG i activities for females peaked on the day of spawning. As a result of their engagement in parental care activities, male activity continued to rise even after spawning was completed. EMG i telemetry appears to be a useful technique for monitoring the reproductive activity of largemouth bass, especially in areas of high cover or turbid water or during low light conditions. This technology permitted us to quantify and contrast the activity patterns associated with different spawning related activities, information that will be required to construct accurate, gender-specific bioenergetics models for this species.