--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A
>Unlike most other minnows, in which the females deposit most or all of
>their
>eggs at once, Cyprinella are "fractional spawners," so called because
>females deposit only a fraction of their eggs during each spawning act. As
>a
>result, the Cyprinella breeding season can last from the spring through
>summer, and even into autumn in some areas. Fractional spawning is said to
>increase reproductive potential by reducing the number of larvae that
>compete for food and space at any one time. It's also a wise strategy for
>fishes that are choosy about where they spawn; since the number of
>appropriate crevices in any given stream may be limited, fractional
>spawning
>allows Cyprinella to reuse the same sites week after week after week.
>
>Chris Scharpf
>Baltimore
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