Reproductive biology of an endemic,amphidromous goby Lentipes concolor in Hawaiian streams

Synopsis Egg size, fecundity, nest site selection, and breeding structure of the amphidromous Hawaiian goby Lentipes concolor were studied to determine if there was any relationship between these aspects of the breeding biology of this fish and the very long larval period of Hawaiian stream gobies. To do this, these parameters were compared with those known for other gobioid fishes. While eggs were small and females were found to lay up to four nests in a season, reproductive biology and mating behavior of L. concolor were typical of many gobies in spite of its amphidromous life history pattern. Lentipes concolor nests were found from October to June with a spawning peak in February. Nests tended to be positioned closer to the stream bank, and under larger rocks than if they were situated randomly. Depth and mean water column velocity over nest sites did not differ from that at randomly selected points in the stream.