. The Canadian field-naturalist. 66 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 104. Figure 2. Native North American range Redbreast Sunfish {Lepomis auritus). spawning migrations appear to be differentiated by sexes, the males making their way to the shallows first. The males establish territories and build nests (redds), which may be 60 to 100 cm in diameter and in water 15 to 46 cm in depth (Scott and Grossman 1973). Females leave the area after the eggs are laid, the males remain to guard the redd, fanning the nest to prevent suffocation and possibly guarding the larvae until swimup (Scott and Gros
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 66 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 104. Figure 2. Native North American range Redbreast Sunfish {Lepomis auritus). spawning migrations appear to be differentiated by sexes, the males making their way to the shallows first. The males establish territories and build nests (redds), which may be 60 to 100 cm in diameter and in water 15 to 46 cm in depth (Scott and Grossman 1973). Females leave the area after the eggs are laid, the males remain to guard the redd, fanning the nest to prevent suffocation and possibly guarding the larvae until swimup (Scott and Grossman 1973). In lacustrine areas the redds may be close together in the open, but in streams they are in the current downstream of a protecting rock. They may also utilize unused redds of other centrarchids (Scott and Grossman 1973). Not surprisingly, Redbreast Sunfish have been known to hybridize with other centrarchids {see Garlander 1977) including the Bluegill {Lepomis macrochirus), the Redear Sunfish {Lepomis microlophus). Green Sunfish {Lepomis cyanellus), and the Pumpkinseed. The number of eggs per female increases with age and size, but ranges from 1000 to 8000 {see Garlander 1977). The eggs are about 2 mm in diameter, amber in colour, and are adhesive (Scott and Grossman 1973; Garlander 1977; Buynak and Mohr 1978). Fertilized eggs collected from the wild hatched in three days when retained at 20 to 24°G (Buynak and Mohr 1978). Newly hatched larvae averaged mm in length and by swimup averaged mm. Other information and descrip- tions of Redbreast Sunfish larvae are also mentioned by Buynak and Mohr (1978). Age, weight and length data are presented by Garlander (1977). Growth appears to be rapid, not sexually differentiated, and maturity is reached at about 23 g in the second year {see Garlander 1977). Growth is apparently slower in the northern parts of the range (Garlander 1977). In New Brunswick, maximum size is about 20 cm, but the average is 13 to 18 cm with
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