Spawning and subsequent copulating behavior of the elkhorn sculpinAlcichthys alcicornis in an aquarium

The spawning and subsequent copulating behavior of the elkhorn sculpin (Alcichthys alcicornis) were observed in an aquarium. Soon after the female was introduced into the tank, the male approached and initiated courtship behavior by unfolding all fins. Females which carried ovulated eggs eventually accepted the male and spawning progressed. Females which had not ovulated, repeatedly rejected the male’s advances. The onset of spawning in the female was indicated by fluttering of the pectoral fins and successive horizontal undulations of the posterior trunk which served to sweep the spawning site. The laying of several thousand eggs was preceded by the female taking several large inhalations of water through the mouth and a slight raising of the posterior trunk. The male continued various behavior related to courtship while the female approached spawning. After spawning, the female smoothed the egg mass into a thin layer by using the posterior trunk and anal fin. After spawning, and while the female flattened the egg mass, the male copulated repeatedly. No copulation was observed prior to spawning. Semen was observed to be emitted from the tip of the penis and to leak from the female’s genital pore. Eggs were fertilized externally by the emitted sperm in the case of females which had no prior copulating experience in the present breeding season. The entire reproductive behavior of the pair ceased, as the female left the spawning site after flattening the egg mass. The male remained near by, but did not aerate the eggs. During the breeding season, the area around the female’s genital pore and along both sides near the base of the anal fin became slightly distended and soft by the accumulation of a serous fluid. It is presumed that this edematous modification serves to flatten the egg mass for softness without crushing the eggs.